Awareness and Use of Ecological and Economic Evaluation of Medical Devices in Healthcare Centers: A Survey of French Hospitals

Objectives: To examine current practices regarding the integration of environmental and economic impact assessments in decision-making for medical device procurement across French healthcare facilities.These findings will reveal the barriers to environmental criteria integration in Hospital-Based Health Technology Assessment (HB-HTA).Methods: A cross-sectional survey, collected between May 21 and July 12, 2024, explored knowledge and implementation of environmental and economic assessments in hospital-based medical device procurement.Disseminated nationwide through the French Interregional Clinical Research and Innovation Groups (GIRCI), the French National Agency for Support to Healthcare Performance (ANAP) network, and via Territorial Hospital Groups, targeting public and private healthcare centers, the eight-section survey addressed governance, eco-responsible procurement, environmental data accessibility, experience with joint assessments and certification practices.Results: Twenty-nine healthcare centers were analyzed, mostly regional or university hospitals or community hospitals (88 percent), primarily in the public sector.A structured approach to ecological transition was reported by 76 percent of institutions.Eco-responsible purchasing measures were implemented in nineteen centers (83 percent); however, access to life-cycle assessment data, especially for upstream manufacturing phases, remained limited.45 percent of institutions had conducted joint environmental-economic assessments.Although 70 percent of respondents were aware of responsible procurement certifications schemes, only 36 percent used them.