Analysis of the efficiency of medical device utilisation in OECD countries

Objective: The aim of this descriptive and cross-sectional study is to assess the efficiency of medical device utilisation in OECD countries in the context of health outcomes using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA).Method: The sample of the study consists of 28 OECD countries. The medical device utilisation efficiency of the countries was evaluated within the framework of the input variables computed tomography scanners (CT), magnetic resonance imaging units (MRI), positron emission tomography scanners (PET), gamma cameras (GAM), mammography machines (MAM), radiotherapy equipment (RT) per million inhabitants and the output variables life expectancy (LE), satisfaction with healthcare system (SH) and perceived health status (PH). The data for 2022 were obtained from the OECD database. As this study used publicly available, aggregate data, no ethics committee approval was required. DEA was performed with input-oriented constant returns to scale (CCR) and variable returns to scale (BCC) models.Results: According to all models, Canada, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland and Türkiye are efficient while Finland, Greece, Italy and Slovak Republic are inefficient. The country with the lowest efficiency is the United States according to CCR model and Greece according to BCC model. Türkiye, Israel and Poland were found to be the most referenced countries. MRI, CT and MAM are the input variables most in need of improvement.Conclusion: It was found that 46% of the OECD countries evaluated in the study according to BCC model and 86% according to CCR model are relatively efficient in terms of medical device utilisation. It is recommended that inefficient countries should improve their idle inputs and avoid unnecessary use.