The role of medical equipment reliability assessment in improving healthcare service quality: a scoping review
Abstract
Background: With the rapid advancement of medical technology, medical equipment plays a vital role in diagnosis, treatment, and patient monitoring. Equipment reliability is not merely an engineering concern but a fundamental determinant of healthcare quality, patient safety, and clinical decision-making. This study systematically reviews the existing literature to identify the core parameters constituting medical equipment reliability assessment, empirically link these parameters to specific management decisions, and trace their impact on measurable health service outcomes, with comparative analysis between international frameworks and current Chinese practice.
Methods: We conducted a systematic search of three major electronic databases-PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science-from their inception until October 31, 2025. All English-language studies examining the relationship between medical equipment reliability and healthcare service quality were considered. Two reviewers independently performed literature screening, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment (using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool) to characterize the strength of evidence supporting parameter-decision-outcome linkages-an approach consistent with scoping review methodology when the research question involves evidence mapping with quality considerations. A rigorous thematic analysis was conducted to synthesize parameter categories and their decision-level linkages.
Results: The initial search…
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