Abstract
Backgrounds and Objective: Advancements in technology have led to great strides in research and innovation that have improved healthcare provision around the world. However, the majority of the technology available is underutilized in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the ever-increasing sophistication and cost of medical equipment means that access and proper use is limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is, however, a general paucity of well-documented evidence for the utilization of medical equipment in LMICs. Therefore, this study evaluates the current availability and utilization of medical equipment in tertiary hospitals and research facilities in Uganda and provides baseline information to clinical/biomedical engineers, innovators, managers, and policymakers.Material and Methods: The study evaluated the equipment currently used in 9 purposively selected public tertiary hospitals and 5 research laboratories representing different regions of Uganda. Data were collected by personnel specialized in biomedical engineering utilizing a mixed-method approach that involved inventory taking and surveys directed to the health workers in the designated health facilities. Results: The hospitals contributed 1995 (85%) pieces of medical equipment while the research laboratories contributed 343 (15%) pieces amounting to 2338 pieces of equipment involved in the study. On average, 34% of the medical equipment in the health facilities was faulty, and 85.6% lacked manuals.Discussion and conclusion: Although innovative solutions and donated equipment address the immediate and long-term goals of resource-constrained settings, our study demonstrated several issues around existing medical devices, and these need immediate attention.
Highlights
Advancements in technology have led to great strides in innovations and research, resulting in a general improvement in healthcare provision, greatly impacting diagnostics, monitoring, and therapy
The out-patient department attendance per day characterized the study, number of admissions per day, population served, number of biomedical engineers and technicians (BMETs), number of pieces of medical equipment found, the percentage of medical equipment classified as nonfunctional, the number of pieces of equipment without manuals, and the number of manufacturers supplying the hospital with medical equipment
The number of manufacturers was relatively high, with the highest recorded being 120 manufacturers supplying a single hospital served by 2 BMETs
Summary
Advancements in technology have led to great strides in innovations and research, resulting in a general improvement in healthcare provision, greatly impacting diagnostics, monitoring, and therapy. Many innovative devices have been applied to the early diagnosis of complicated diseases, including non-communicable diseases such as cancer, and management of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and HIV/AIDS. They have been utilized to invent and track many drug regimens for most deadly diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV.[4–7]. Access and effective use of healthcare technologies leads to improved quality of healthcare provision to most of the population worldwide.[8,9]. Lack of functional equipment has a devastating effect on the quality of healthcare provision and research in resource-poor settings and affects the overall healthcare system.[10,15]
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