Study of the purchasing procedures for medical technologies in Spanish hospitals: particularization for a postpartum hemorrhage detector

Abstract

The World Health Organization defines a medical device as any instrument, machine, implant, software, or material intended to be used for a medical purpose. Medical devices can treat, prevent, detect and diagnose diseases. Examples of medical devices are glucose monitors, pacemakers, syringes, and condoms. The medical device industry in Spain currently accounts for 7,417 million euros, with an increase of close to 42% in the last six years. Developing a new medical device takes an average of 4.6 years and can cost tens of millions of euros. These high development costs are in part due to the stringent controls and regulations a new device and its production processes must go through before commercialization. Among the many aspects that the entrepreneur in medical technologies must consider is how the medical device will be commercially introduced in hospitals, which is a process that can be different and unclear depending on the type of technology, the amount, the use, etc. It is essential to understand the available options to plan the best strategies for sales and marketing. However, this knowledge can also be relevant in the first stages of the development process, for instance, for designing the technology and choosing its materials. This study reveals the purchasing procedures for medical technologies in Spanish hospitals. Its goal is to summarize the process of introducing a new medical device in Spanish healthcare to facilitate the launch of new medical technology for entrepreneurs. To achieve the objectives of the project, structured and semi-structured interviews have been conducted with professionals from the medical sector and medical technology companies about the introduction of medical technology in hospitals. Twenty-eight interviews were conducted both orally and written. As a case study, the description of the purchase procedures was particularized for a hypothetical postpartum hemorrhage detector, an innovative medical device without direct competition.