Evaluation of medical equipment management in educational hospitals in Isfahan

BACKGROUND: Medical equipment plays an important role in the diagnosis, treatment, and medical education, and each year the major share of hospital costs (about 5%–15% annually) is allocated to the purchase of medical equipment. The selection and allocation of medical equipment should be appropriate and in line with the actual needs of the medical centers, clinical goals, human resources, and the conditions required to ensure safety. The purpose of this study was to study and evaluate current systems of medical equipment management and identify their strengths and weaknesses in Isfahan educational hospitals in 2018. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a descriptive-applied research that was done in a cross-sectional way in 2018. The statistical population of the research is the authorities of medical equipment and other persons related to the management of medical equipment of selected educational hospitals in Isfahan. The data collection tool is a questionnaire. RESULTS: The result of this study was gathered in four areas: medical equipment management, safety, preventive maintenance, and training. CONCLUSION: According to this study, there is no comprehensive program in hospitals for how to manage medical equipment, which itself causes the loss of material and equipment capital of the organization. In most cases, the lack of a system for planning and controlling the amount of inventory and purchasing and maintaining medical equipment creates many problems, such as the accumulation and depreciation of equipment or the lack of these facilities in critical situations. In this study, it is suggested initially a scientific control system. Medical equipment is designed so that the hospital's need for equipment at any time of year and the amount of its equipment are clear so that it can be easily decided in this field.