Healthcare providers worldwide are facing an increasingly competitive environment and, in response, are downsizing to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Providers that are unable or unwilling to become more efficient will close. To stay in business, healthcare institutions must consider the cost of medical equipment and plan accordingly. Policies based on sound principles and experience prevent costly and/or harmful mistakes. In this article, we discuss the different phases of equipment planning, detail some of the relevant concepts and terminology, describe how clinical engineers can become involved, and highlight ECRI resources available to those carrying out the process. Whether you are a clinical engineer facing downsizing and consolidation, a healthcare administrator with a mandate to rein in the costs of technology, or a minister of health facing the task of building or maintaining a nation's healthcare infrastructure, this article will help you seize opportunities and meet challenges.
全球医疗服务提供者正面临日益激烈的竞争环境，作为应对措施，他们正在进行规模缩减以降低成本并提高效率。无法或不愿提高效率的提供者将会关闭。为了继续经营，医疗机构必须考虑医疗设备的成本并据此进行规划。基于合理原则和经验的政策可防止代价高昂和/或有害的错误。在本文中，我们讨论了设备规划的不同阶段，详细介绍了一些相关概念和术语，描述了临床工程师如何参与其中，并重点介绍了可供参与该过程的人员使用的ECRI资源。无论你是面临规模缩减和合并的临床工程师、受命控制技术成本的医疗保健管理人员，还是面临建设或维护国家医疗基础设施任务的卫生部长，本文都将帮助你抓住机遇并应对挑战。
