Outcomes of public procurement in technology development of medical devices: A narrative review

Introduction and Aim: Public procurement is a demand-side policy of technology and a significant section of the economy, the development of which requires understanding the conditions and accessing valid information. The present study has extracted the evidence-based public procurement outcomes in technology development of medical devices. Materials and Methods: Using narrative review method, 262 evidence were selected among the 787 evidence found, including books, articles, national and international reports and theses from Google Scholar, Elsevier, Emerald, Taylor and Francis, Wiley Online Library including books, articles, reports made by national and international documents and theses, and 52 were cited considering the need and the content. Results: Based on extracted concepts, the aspects of the effect of public procurement of medical devices were categorized into five categories, including technology and innovation development, technology diffusion and transfer, demand-oriented policy development, centralized procurement promotion, and local product development. Conclusion: The role of the government in the technology development of the medical devices requires more attention because the proper design and implementation of centralized public procurement policy of medical devices by creating competition among producers can lead to technology development and promotion. However, it may mutually increase the price of medical devices and limit the use of these devices and hinder innovation and the introduction of the new technologies.