OBJECTIVES: Multicriteria decision analysis tools are tools that capture the attributes of specific products and compare them to provide an objective method for choosing among the available options. In Egypt, there are several implantable medical devices with different specifications. Choosing the most efficient tool to reimburse between those is not always an easy task. We aimed to create an objective tool to choose the best device among the available implantable medical devices for reimbursement.

METHODS: To identify relevant criteria, a systematic literature review and expert interviews were conducted. Then experts in procurement and tendering chose the criteria, ranked them, assigned weights, defined scoring functions for each criterion and created the draft tool during a workshop. The draft tool was used in a pilot phase, then another workshop was conducted to fine tune the tool. The tool readjusted based on the experts’ experience with the draft tool.

RESULTS: Experts agreed to include 8 criteria in the final tool. These were: technical characteristics of the medical device (29.4% of the weight), country of origin (19.5%), use in reference countries (14.9%), supply reliability (11.7%), previous use in tenders (9.0%), instant replacement within product variety (6.9%), pharmacovigilance system (4.6%) and refund or replacement (4.0%). The tool assesses the devices for the 8 criteria and the device that achieves the highest final is considered the best. Price was not included in the MCDA tool, and it will be added in the financial evaluation phase.

CONCLUSIONS: The MCDA tool can help decisionmakers take evidence-based decisions concerning purchasing implantable devices for the public sector in Egypt. The tool compares the available options, and provides a summary score for each, then the decision is much easier and more transparent. The price is then evaluated and the product with the best value is chosen for reimbursement.