Prioritization of barriers to the implementation of medical equipment marketing strategies using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP)

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to identify and prioritize barriers to the implementation of medical equipment (ME) marketing strategies using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Design/methodology/approach This was an applied, cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study conducted in 2017 in Iran. The study population included 30 medical equipment experts working in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. A researcher made pair-wise comparison questionnaire was used for collecting the required data. The validity and reliability of this questionnaire were confirmed through getting five related experts’ opinions and inconsistency ratio (IR = 0.04). The AHP technique and Expert Choice 10.0 software were used to prioritize the barriers to the implementation of ME marketing strategies. Findings The results showed that among four categories of barriers to the implementation of ME marketing strategies, “managerial and strategic barriers” (FW = 0.339) and “structural barriers” (FW = 0.139) were the most important and the least important barriers, respectively. Originality/value This study, for the first time, has identified and prioritized barriers to the implementation of medical equipment marketing strategies using the AHP.