Designing A Model of Medical Equipment Purchase Management in Hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Objective: Medical equipment plays an effective and vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Each society dedicates a plethora of health resources to these facilities. Since prioritizing and resource allocation are crucial in low-income countries with limited health resources, understanding and improving the purchase management of medical equipment in hospitals is a primary key for preparing high-quality health services. The aim of this study was to design a model for medical equipment purchase management at hospitals affiliated with the Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Methods: The statistical population for the present applied study, consisted of 623 people and the research sample was comprised of 420 people, which was selected using the stratified random sampling method. Data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire whose variables were extracted from comparative studies and whose validity was measured by the relative content validity coefficient, content validity index and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The SPSS 18 and AMOS were employed for analyses.

Results: The most and the least effective aspects of medical equipment purchase management in the studied hospitals were found to be decision-making (path coefficient of 1.244) and organization respectively (path coefficient of 0. 845).

Conclusion: It is crucial to take factors into consideration when using the facilities and capacities available in health and treatment centres. The proposed model can best guide buyer institutions to move towards efficient purchase mentioned in upstream policy documents.