Assessing Electromedical Device Obsolescence: A Comparison Between Linear and Fuzzy Logic Approaches

Abstract

The focus of this study is the evaluation of electromedical devices through different methods of analysis, thanks to which it is possible to determine the obsolescence and therefore the need for decommissioning or revaluation of the same. The study has been conducted in parallel with the wave of renewal that is involving the IRCCS Giannina Gaslini Institute, particularly with the construction of the new Pavilion Zero, organized by intensity of care. This transformation requires a reorganization and awareness of all the existing medical equipment, along with the need for appropriate management, redistribution, and, in some cases, disposal. To support this process, the present study focuses on the evaluation of medical devices within the Institute, through the use of two different assessment methodologies: MVO (Obsolescence Evaluation Method) and a custom-developed index based on fuzzy logic. The analysis involved more than 8,000 devices. The first index (MVO) was developed by the company, which is responsible for maintaining medical devices within the Institute, namely Hospital Consulting S.p.A., which has used some objective parameters from the internal database. The second one was designed by the authors using the same parameters employed in the MVO, but was later refined through further analysis, which led to the exclusion or inclusion of parameters deemed crucial for the evaluation. This index was also developed with the support of some fuzzy logic based parameters. In the end, the two methodologies were compared in order to determine the consistency of the two methods used and the differences obtained.

Keywords: Obsolescence Evaluation Method; fuzzy logic; medical device management; methodologies comparison.