MedTech Week Magazine 2018 At a glance

Highlights from the 3rd Edition of the Award-Winning MedTech Week Magazine

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I take this opportunity to sincerely thank all our members for their enormous efforts in making the role of medical technologies more widely known during MedTech Week 2018 last June.

Now in it's fourth year, MedTech Week brings out the best in the companies and national associations that represent our industry. Together, they have served up dozens of examples in unwavering ingenuity to illustrate the value of medtech.

Serge Bernasconi
Chief Executive, MedTech Europe
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Perspectives

perspectives 2018 Dialysis at Home
Expert

‘Dialysis at home: savings lives, preserving autonomy’

Dialysis can be essential to the wellbeing of people living with kidney failure.

perspectives 2018 Protect our Health
Belgium

‘Committed to protect our health from Roberto Bertollini, HFE honorary president’

perspectives 2018 Value Based Healthcare
Value of medtech, Expert

‘Thinking smarter & working harder to deliver Value-Based Healthcare – Together’

Michelle Brennan, Chair of the Board of MedTech Europe and Company Group Chair, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA)

perspectives 2018 AI
Digital Health, Expert

‘Artificial intelligence: The next revolution in healthcare?’

At the turn of the century, healthcare companies were at the zenith of an ‘innovate-manufacture-sell’ business model.

perspectives 2018 Musculoskeletal Healthcare
Digital Health, Expert

‘How digital technologies will reshape musculoskeletal healthcare’

Digital technologies provide an opportunity to move musculoskeletal care to the heart of value-based healthcare. MedTech Views spoke to Satschin Bansal of Zimmer Biomet about some of the innovations that will change the field.

perspectives 2018 Colorectal Cancer
Expert

‘Colorectal cancer: don’t delay diagnosis’

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world and the second most common in Europe. The disease can be fatal but early diagnosis and intervention are improving outcomes for patients.

perspectives 2018 Diagnosing Stis
Diagnostics, Expert

‘Diagnosing STIs: faster tests for chlamydia and gonorrhoea can help reduce the spread of disease’

Advances in diagnostic technologies give patients same-day test results for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea.

perspectives 2018 Asthma
Patient

‘Asthma is a struggle – imagine carrying a 50kg stone around all day’

For people living with severe asthma, daily tasks can be a real challenge.

perspectives 2018 Digital Health
Digital Health, Expert

‘Digital health is here – time to take the lead’

How do we prepare Europe for future technologies?

perspectives 2018 Deafness
Expert

‘Diagnosing Deafness’

Timely cochlear implant surgery can significantly help deaf children’s speech, language, cognitive and socio-emotional behaviour.

‘How digital technologies will reshape musculoskeletal healthcare’

Digital technologies provide an opportunity to move musculoskeletal care to the heart of value-based healthcare. MedTech Views spoke to Satschin Bansal of Zimmer Biomet about some of the innovations that will change the field.

Will digital health deliver the Holy Grail of better results for patients and better value for health systems?

The technologies we have today, and those I see emerging from start-ups, are more than capable of changing musculoskeletal care. These digital tools contribute to the promise of value-based healthcare – improving patient outcomes while allowing greater cost-effectiveness. Digital health has to deliver both of these elements if it is to be adopted widely.

What kinds of technologies are you thinking of?

Think of rehabilitation after a knee or hip replacement. The six weeks after surgery are crucial to the patients’ quality of life after they recover. A major challenge, particularly in older patient populations, is patient compliance with physiotherapy.

One of the solutions is to use wearable devices with sensors that give biofeedback to patients on whether they are bending their knee correctly or whether their mobility has improved. It can become like a “game”, making them more likely to stick to exercising.

How else could technology improve rehabilitation without adding costs?

The major costs of rehab are performing physiotherapy at a clinic and then later at home. The strong increase in using mobile technology also among elderly patients means physiotherapy can be delivered remotely. The physio could, for example, programme exercises for the patient to do in their own time – and then review the data afterwards.

This helps each physiotherapist work more effectively with a larger number of patients – which is crucial as our population ages. In addition, further reducing length of stay in hospitals after joint replacement allows patients to return to their home surroundings earlier, where they feel comfortable. And this is potentially a win-win: patients could make fewer trips to the clinic and follow a programme conveniently at home, while health professionals become more productive.

What are the barriers to widespread adoption of these kinds of approaches?

It’s time for hospitals, suppliers and payers to discuss how this approach could bring benefits for patients and save costs for society and the system as a whole. A change in mindset is needed from all healthcare players. Digital technologies can play a role across the care continuum, potentially delivering better patient outcomes with greater cost-effectiveness particularly if combined with patient pathway optimization programs such as Rapid Recovery or Fast Track.

You can hear positive discussion about value-based healthcare at conferences every week of the year but siloed thinking is slowing down adoption of this approach.

Are there examples of how countries or regions are leading the way in this field?

Yes, the Nordic countries come to my mind as leaders in adopting digital health. As an example, more and more tenders encourage medical device companies to include programs and technologies that can improve patient outcomes and lower cost across the care pathway, beyond the actual product.

Where will the next generation of technologies come from in this field?

Leading companies across our industry are developing new digital tools either themselves or through collaboration with some of the large consumer electronic firms. But we also know that start-ups are a vital source of innovation. That is why we are running the Connected Health Innovation Award.

The €25,000 prize on offer to the winner is not the main attraction for entrepreneurs. They are keen on coaching and mentoring and testing their product in real-world settings and thus we are collaboration with some of the leading hospitals for orthopaedics in Europe.

The contest is open to any digital health start-up interested in improving outcomes and lower costs in musculoskeletal health. The beauty of it is that we have no idea what entrepreneurs will come up with and thus looking with large excitement into the future.

The closing date for applications to the Connected Health Innovation Award is June 15

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