MEDICAL DEVICE APPLICATION NEEDS TREND

Abstract

The concept of a medical device is broad. Includes: any instrument, apparatus, equipment, material or other product, used alone or in combination, including software necessary for its proper application, intended by the manufacturer to be used in humans for the purposes of: diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, treatment and relief of the disease. Purpose: the study is to investigate the needs of application of medical devices in the provision of medical services by the year 2023. Methodology: The used volume of implants was tracked along clinical paths in the conditions of health insurance. A statistical method and a method of extrapolation were used to analyze data from the National Health Fund in Bulgaria for the period 2018-2022. Results: Over the years of the period under review, there is an increasing trend in patient demand for implants (number of patients) and an increasing trend in implant application, except for a decline in the same prior to 2020. The decline in implant application needs in 2020 may to be due to a change in the structure of morbidity and the reversibility of people to the health system in the conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Given the growth rate of applied implants over the five-year period, the volume of implants required for medical activity can be predicted. The forecast is in favor of management in the health system at all levels.