XIE Feng, CHEN Liang, WANG Wenfeng, ZHU Xiaorui, MU Xin, LIAO Xin, ZHANG Zhaoqi, JIANG Yue
Objective To conduct an in-depth analysis of procurement, operation and maintenance costs as well as usage data between domestic and imported large-scale medical devices using municipal hospitals in Beijing as an example, and to provide references and suggestions for equipment demonstration and the sound development of domestic medical devices. Methods Data on in-service CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and X-ray equipment [including digital subtraction angiography (DSA), digital radiography (DR), C-arm, O-arm, and G-arm] from 22 municipal hospitals in Beijing were collected and investigated. The rank-sum test was used to analyze cost differences in three aspects: the comparison of procurement prices between domestic and imported products, the comparison of procurement prices between domestic-brand products and localized products of foreign brands, and the comparison of equipment maintenance costs. The actual usage volume and procurement proportion of domestic and imported products were compared to evaluate differences in equipment availability. Results Procurement prices of domestic products were significantly lower than those of imported products for six types of equipment, including 64-slice (inclusive) to 128-slice (exclusive) CT, 1.5 T and below MRI, above 1.5 T MRI, DSA, DR and C-arm (P<0.05), with a reduction range of 12.97%-50.80%. Among five categories [CT below 64-slice, 64-slice (inclusive) to 128-slice (exclusive) CT, 1.5 T and below MRI, DR and C-arm], only C-arm showed no significant difference in procurement prices between domestic-brand products and localized products of foreign brands (P>0.05); procurement prices of domestic-brand products were significantly lower than those of localized foreign-brand products for the other categories (P<0.05), with a reduction range of 19.68%-31.91%. For four types of equipment [64-slice (inclusive) to 128-slice (exclusive) CT, 1.5 T and below MRI, DR and C-arm], the full-service maintenance rates of domestic and imported products after the warranty period were basically the same (P>0.05). The procurement proportion of domestic equipment surpassed that of imported equipment for the first time in 2020 and remained stable in the following five years. No significant difference was found in the average usage volume of CT and MRI equipment between domestic and imported products (P>0.05). Conclusion Overall, the procurement price and maintenance cost of domestic products are lower than those of imported products, and the usability and market acceptance of domestic products are not inferior to those of imported products. Medical institutions should strengthen demonstration and research to reduce equipment procurement and operation costs on the premise of meeting clinical needs.