Purpose: Along with the increasing complexity and acquisition costs of medical equipment, the complexity and costs associated with their maintenance have also risen substantially over recent decades. At the same time, the capacity for managing and maintaining medical equipment in developing countries has remained relatively limited. Therefore, the existence of a well-planned and effectively managed medical equipment management program is essential. This study aimed to develop a standardized checklist for evaluating medical equipment management in hospitals affiliated with the Social Security Organization.
Method: This applied methodological study was conducted in two phases: checklist development and validity assessment. In the first phase, relevant literature and existing standards were reviewed through searches in PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and SID databases. An initial checklist was developed based on the extracted evidence. In the second phase, face and content validity were evaluated by a panel of 10 experts in medical equipment management and healthcare administration. Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Item-level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) were calculated for all items.
Findings: The initial checklist consisted of 78 items. Following content validity assessment, six items were removed due to inadequate CVR values. The final checklist included 72 items organized into 7 dimensions and 19 subscales. CVR values ranged from 0.80 to 1.00 for retained items, while I-CVI values ranged from 0.90 to 1.00, indicating satisfactory content validity.
Conclusion: The developed checklist demonstrated acceptable face and content validity and can be used as a practical tool for evaluating and improving medical equipment management processes in hospitals affiliated with the Social Security Organization.