Prioritizing Factors Influencing Purchase of Medical Equipment in Selected Hospitals in Tehran Using Analytic Hierarchy Process Model

Technological advances have made using scientific methods necessary in purchase decisions. The present study has investigated the prioritization factors affecting purchase of medical equipment at selected hospitals in Tehran.

The present study is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2014. About 645 members of Medical Equipment Committee and medical equipment users (including clinical and Para-clinical administrators) in a number of hospitals in Tehran were selected using census method. Data were gathered using a questionnaire the validity and reliability of which were maintained by experts and the inconsistency ratio of questionnaires being less than 0.1, respectively. The collected data were analyzed using AHP model and Expert Choice 11 software. Responsiveness rate was 87%.

Four determinants were found to influence the purchase of medical equipment including "quality", "after sale services", "brand", and finally, "price" with the geometric means of 0.414, 0.278, 0.160, and 0.148, respectively.

The results showed that health care organizations have paid great attention to the quality of medical equipment and consider it as part of the quality of their services. Health care providers are aware that a leading factor of their success is the correct diagnosis of health problems and that use of appropriate standard equipment plays a major role in it.