Study On Evaluation Of Comprehensive Benefit Of MRI Equipment In County-level Hospital In China

County-level hospitals are the basis of medical and health services in China and county-level hospitals are also the center of the medical service network of the countryside. Medical equipments especially the large medical equipments are necessary for modern medical activities and usually one of the most important parts of the hospitals. With the increase of our country's economic strength, development of health undertaking and ahead with medical and health care reform, County-level hospitals face the rarely opportunity for construction. Now County-level hospitals'pace of construction is faster and more large medical equipments are being imported in them.New equipments improve the medical level of county-level hospitals markedly, but some hospitals arise problems of blind purchase and low utilization efficiency. Medical resources are very limited. Our health administration department needs urgently a series of scientific tools to assess the comprehensive benefits before large medical equipments'approval. These tools can be the reference for reasonable allocation of resources and right approval decision.There are less in-depth studies about the comprehensive benefits of medical equipment and early related studies mainly focused on the economic benefits. The literature about the quantitative evaluation of comprehensive benefits can hardly be searched. One of the reasons is the difficulty of assessment for social effects. In this study, we take MRI for example, explore to find a series of quantitative evaluation tools, provide a decision reference before purchase MRI in County-level hospitals, aiming to introduce a specific evaluation model and a more comprehensive perspective into the management of large medical equipments.Evaluating comprehensive benefits of medical devices, we not only made economic analysis but also made assess of the social values and the role of health care support. For involving many factors, we adopted the synthetically evaluation method to take qualitative factors and quantitative factors into account. In this study, based on Chinese and foreign literature research, we summarized the results of expert interviews and field investigations, and then abstracted a series of evaluating indicators and analysis formulae fit for County-level hospitals. Then we determined the weight coefficient of evaluation after two rounds of consultation according to the Delphi method and completed the evaluation indicators system. Finally one hospital was selected for the actual investigation, and some indicators were amended.This study could be used as the initial decision-making tools when assessing investment of a expensive imaging diagnostic equipment. For exploring a new field, our study inevitably has some inadequacies and shortcomings. Only by constant practice, review and adjustment, evaluation study about comprehensive benefits of medical equipments could develop and reach maturity.