Healthcare Digitisation and Personalised Monitoring Yields Novel Growth Opportunities for Networked Medical Devices
For the last few years, healthcare providers globally have been focusing on implementing Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems and fine-tuning workflow and functionalities to best suit end-user needs. In many countries, the implementation of EMRs has seen high adoption and has been quite successful. It is widely accepted that there can be many potential improvements in the care delivery process and patient safety through the effective use of an EMR. It is not the time for the industry to be complacent. Hospitals are tasked with the need to do more with less, while also keeping pace with technology and patient expectations. In many hospitals, nurses and clinical staff spend half of their working hours per shift on documentation activities, whereas they should ideally be spending most of their focus on direct patient care.
What is the advantage of having expensive EMRs when providers have to note patient vitals and key parameters in some cases still on paper and manually key-in those into the electronic record? Improved care coordination also requires accurate, complete, and automated data capture. Medical device connectivity and interoperability is quickly becoming a top priority at hospitals and in healthcare settings because of the numerous benefits it offers across the care continuum. A well-established device connectivity strategy can help hospitals implement clinical alarms based on early warning scores, automated electronic charting, emergency alert and response systems, virtual intensive care units (ICUs), continuous patient surveillance and remote patient monitoring, medical device asset management, and real-time location solutions.
The high-acuity care environment is dynamically changing globally, especially with regard to operating rooms, intensive care units and their workforce. The growing shortfall of intensive care workforce is challenging the ability of hospitals to care for critically ill patients. There is a growing need for intensivists and trained nursing staff to care for critically ill patients in acute care settings. In many countries, a shortfall of intensivists poses a real challenge; there is either a short supply or they are entirely absent, with workloads being shared by non-trained hospital personnel. It is quite evident that expert care from specialists can improve patient outcomes and shorten hospital stays, thereby reducing costs and minimising length of stay and readmissions. As an alternative to critical care delivery models, hospitals can leverage EMRs and medical device connectivity solutions to overcome the shortages of intensivists in the high-acuity care environment.
Medical devices compliant with the healthcare enterprise (IHE) patient care device (PCD) regulation can establish connectivity with the enterprise hospital network for sharing patient-generated data. A centralised patient surveillance platform offering end-to-end medical device connectivity acquiring patient data in real time, intelligent clinical alarm systems with advanced analytics, a clinical-decision support system (CDSS) and a virtual ICU solution can address the challenges in the intensive care environment. Bi-directional communication between connected medical devices and clinical information systems (CIS), particularly for smart infusion pumps programming and multi-parameter patient monitoring has proven to prevent adverse events in the high-acuity care environment. A well-integrated system with a centralised clinical dashboard with real-time insights on patients can help intensivists by prioritising patients that require higher levels of care.
Research Highlights
This new research report on the Global Hospital-based Medical Device Connectivity Solutions Market, Forecast to 2022 provides a comprehensive analysis on the global medical device interoperability market with a competitive landscape covering clinical information technology (IT) systems vendors, medical device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), vendor-agnostic third-party medical device data systems (MDDS) vendors, and healthcare system integrators.
Presented Segmentation:
- Clinical IT Systems Vendors
- Medical Device OEMs
- Vendor-Agnostic Connectivity Vendors
- Healthcare System Integrators
Key Issues Addressed
- What are the key market trends and industry dynamics in the medical device connectivity market? What is the future potential for medical device connectivity solutions?
- What is the current market scenario? How much growth is expected? Which are the major market segments? What will be the impact of external trends on each business segment?
- Who are the major participants in the global market for medical device connectivity? What are their solution offerings, product features and technical specifications?
- What is driving the market? What are the restraints impacting growth opportunities for medical device connectivity in the global market?
- What are the important business model considerations for healthcare stakeholders and providers? Are there any unmet customer needs? Is there an untapped opportunity in this market?
- Are the connectivity solution offered by solution vendors today meeting end-user needs? Does it require additional enhancements to address critical business needs?
