Medical Design Briefs - February 2022 - 8

2022 Digital Trends
accommodate for evolving technology
and customer demands as designing for
individuals will require a greater attention
to customization and product life
cycle.
Lorscheider adds that being able to
monitor patients and get real-time
data is a huge asset to healthcare. " It
has also assisted in allowing us to monitor
nonambulatory patients at home
or in senior living centers, " he says. " It
has accelerated the adoption of these
technologies. "
Devices such as the Baby Kick monitor represent the wave of digital devices that are providing more
intuitive interfaces and improved human factors. (Credit: Omnica)
Muchin also points to the rise in
remote diagnostics. " The technology was
in a good place prior to COVID, but after
the pandemic hit, there was a greater
reliance on these solutions, " he says.
" It's similar to how so many of us have
adapted to working from home and
using technologies that allow us to do
that. Digital health solutions rapidly
became something that people could
trust and count on to monitor their
health, " Muchin says.
" COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption
rate of rapid tests, especially antigen
diagnostic tests, " says Young. " If COVID19
had not occurred, we would have
seen a slower rate of patient testing moving
from hospitals, doctors' offices, and
urgent care centers to walk-in clinics and
at home. "
Patches are enabling the use of wearable diagnostic devices, a trend that will accelerate throughout
2022. (Credit: Omnica)
Patient monitoring - fall detection,
heart rate monitoring, etc.
Diagnostic equipment - MRIs,
ultrasound, echocardiogram, etc.
On-body or wearable devices - fitness trackers,
coaching apps, external monitors, CPAP, etc.
Disease state monitoring
Infection detection and monitoring
Patient compliance tracking - digital pills, etc.
Pharmaceutical equipment - smart injectors
or inhalers, etc.
3D-printed and connected parts - replacement
hips, artificial limbs, wear and tear, etc.
In-body devices - pacemakers, etc.
Environment monitoring - air quality, etc.
16%
0 10 20 30
40
50
Fig. 1 - Types of digital healthcare solutions companies are developing or plan to develop. (Source:
" Digital Health Technology Trends, " Jabil, September 2021)
8
Cov
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ToC
21%
18%
29%
34%
33%
40%
38%
43%
50%
FDA has said the Center for Devices
and Radiological Health (CDRH)
plans " to engage with test developers
to establish generic templates for commonly
anticipated pathogens that may
be adapted for potential future outbreaks.
The agency also plans to develop
a framework for conducting appropriate
validation under different circumstances,
to speed the availability of
future in vitro diagnostic (IVD) de -
vices. Further, it has urged the U.S.
government to establish the capacity
to independently evaluate test performance
before outbreaks occur so
that evaluation can be performed
quickly during an outbreak.
" COVID test development investments
by medical device researchers
and manufacturers have positioned
rapid testing for a whole horizon of
maladies, " says Young. " We are seeing
rapid tests being developed for cancer,
HIV, tuberculosis, renal disease, and
malaria, for example. Intense efforts
are being made to lower costs and
ensure the equitable distribution of
these tests to low- and middle-income
countries. "
Medical Design Briefs, February 2022

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Medical Design Briefs - February 2022

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