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1 – 10 of over 14000Syed Ghulam Sarwar Shah and Ian Robinson
Medical device users are one of the principal medical device technology stakeholders. The involvement of users in medical device technology development and assessment is central…
Abstract
Purpose
Medical device users are one of the principal medical device technology stakeholders. The involvement of users in medical device technology development and assessment is central to meet their needs. This study aims to examine this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
A structured review of the literature published from 1980 to 2005 in peer‐reviewed journals was carried out from a social science perspective to investigate user involvement practice in the development and assessment of medical device technologies. This was followed by a qualitative thematic analysis.
Findings
Medical device users include clinicians, patients, carers and others. Different kinds of medical devices are developed and assessed by user involvement. The user involvement occurs at different stages of the medical device technology lifecycle and the degree of user involvement is in the order of: design>testing and trials>deployment>concept stages. The methods most commonly used for capturing users' perspectives are usability tests, interviews and questionnaire surveys.
Research limitations/implications
The relevant engineering, medical and nursing literature, which might have been useful, was not reviewed. However, useful findings emerge that apply to health care generally.
Originality/value
This study shows that medical device users are not homogeneous but heterogeneous in several aspects, such as needs, skills and working environments. This is an important consideration for incorporating users' perspectives in medical device technologies.
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Izatul Hamimi Abdul Razak, Shahrul Kamaruddin, Ishak Abdul Azid and Indra Putra Almanar
The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding on implementation and operation of ISO 13485:2003 – “Medical Devices – Quality Management System – Requirements for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding on implementation and operation of ISO 13485:2003 – “Medical Devices – Quality Management System – Requirements for Regulatory Purposes” – in the perspective of medical device industries in Malaysia. The study is focused on the Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which currently have accredited to ISO 9001:2000 quality management systems.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature research and comparative analysis between ISO 13485:2003 and ISO 9001:2000 standard and requirements. A reference model is developed to assist the Malaysian SMEs towards ISO 13485:2003 accreditation.
Findings
Unlike ISO 9001:2000, ISO 13485:2003 stresses the safety and efficacy of medical devices that are being produced. For this reason risk management is an essential process that needs to be adopted into the ISO 13485:2003 quality management system. Moreover, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the ISO 13485:2003 implementation, this standard has placed great emphasis on documentation requirements which are more prescriptive in insisting on the use of formal procedures.
Originality/value
The paper provides guidelines to ISO 13485:2003 implementations as well as risk management approaches for small and medium‐sized businesses of Malaysian medical device manufacturers, which at the same time maintains its ISO 9001:2000 certification.
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Noel Carroll and Ita Richardson
Connected Health is an emerging and rapidly developing field never before witnessed across the healthcare sector. It has the potential to transform healthcare service systems by…
Abstract
Purpose
Connected Health is an emerging and rapidly developing field never before witnessed across the healthcare sector. It has the potential to transform healthcare service systems by increasing its safety, quality and overall efficiency. However, as healthcare technologies or medical devices continuously rely more on software development, one of the core challenges is examining how Connected Health is regulated – often impacting Connected Health innovation. The purpose of this paper is to present an understanding of how Connected Health is regulated. Many of these regulatory developments fall under “medical devices”, giving rise to Software-as-a-Medical Device (SaaMD).
Design/methodology/approach
Through an extensive literature review, this paper demystifies Connected Health regulation. It presents the outcome of expert discussions which explore the key regulatory developments in the context of Connected Health to provide a practical guide to understanding how regulation can potentially shape healthcare innovation.
Findings
Several key issues are identified, and the authors present a comprehensive overview of regulatory developments relating to Connected Health with a view to support the continued growth of IT-enabled healthcare service models. The authors also identify the key challenges in Connected Health and identify areas for future research.
Originality/value
A key outcome of this research is a clearer understanding of the opportunities and challenges that regulation and standards present to Connected Health. Furthermore, this research is of critical importance in a first attempt towards recognising the impact of regulation and standards compliance in Connected Health.
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Ying Xie, Liz Breen, Tom Cherrett, Dingchang Zheng and Colin James Allen
This study aims to provide insights into the scale and use of information and communication technology (ICT) in managing medical devices in the National Health Service (NHS), with…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide insights into the scale and use of information and communication technology (ICT) in managing medical devices in the National Health Service (NHS), with a focus on reverse exchange (RE) systems as a part of the broader reverse logistics (RL) systems, within which medical devices are returned and exchanged.
Design/methodology/approach
Two case studies were conducted with NHS Hospital Trusts, whilst another was built upon secondary resources. Primary findings were triangulated with the information collected from the NHS Trusts’ reports, direct observation and a preliminary round of consultations with 12 health-care professionals working in other NHS Trusts or Integrated Equipment Community Services.
Findings
The findings of this paper suggest that the sophistication of ICT implementation increases with the risks and value associated with medical devices. Operational attributes are derived from ICT implementations which can positively affect RE performance. The forces that drive the adoption of ICT in the NHS include pressure from government, business partners and patients; competitive pressure; perceived benefits; organisation size; top management support; and the availability of sufficient resources. Obstacles are mainly centred around the lack of sufficient resources.
Research limitations/implications
Although the trusts that participated in this research are representative of different regions, the generalisation of the study results may be limited by the size of the sample organisations, so the results can only provide insights into the research problem. As this work is exploratory in nature, there is insufficient data on which to form definitive recommendations.
Practical implications
NHS Trusts may use the six operational attributes identified and verified by the case studies to benchmark their ICT implementation for device management. The actual and potential benefits of ICT implementation could inform technology development and encourage the uptake of ICT in healthcare. Governmental bodies can utilise this information to develop directives to actively drive ICT adoption in device management and the associated RE system. A well-considered training programme is needed to improve staff ICT skills to fully realise the potential of ICT systems which support the effective RE of medical devices.
Originality/value
The results of this paper suggest that the reverse management of medical devices backs up the supply chain attained through using ICT, which in turn reduces capital costs, medical risk and increases the finance available for frontline medical treatment.
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Areej Aftab Siddiqui and Parul Singh
Medical device industry in India is a niche sector with few key players but it possesses huge potential for both domestic and international trade. In recent years, a number of…
Abstract
Purpose
Medical device industry in India is a niche sector with few key players but it possesses huge potential for both domestic and international trade. In recent years, a number of regulatory relaxations have been provided to medical device manufacturers in India to enhance production and further trade especially exports. Though the industry is highly dependent on imports, the purpose of this paper is to identify key medical devices using the revealed comparative advantage, which can be exported from India by identifying new markets.
Design/methodology/approach
For the selected medical devices, India’s exports to the world and the newly identified markets are forecasted using the autoregressive integrated moving average model of regression.
Findings
It is seen that three major medical devices emerge to be the ones where India has the capacity and potential to manufacture and export. These medical devices are electro-cardiographs, magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and oscilloscopes and oscillographs being exported to the USA, Australia; China and the USA, respectively, which is rising in recent years.
Research limitations/implications
As the forecasted values indicate that there is an increasing potential in exports from India to the world of the selected medical devices, there is an urgent need to develop this industry and enhance exports from India. Very few studies have been carried out to examine and forecast exports from specific sectors or industries which is the need of the hour now.
Originality/value
The paper also provides suggestions to exporters and policymakers on leveraging the future export potential of selected medical devices.
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Seiya Shimanuki and Tomoko Saiki
The purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge creation and technological diversity management by medical device manufacturers, to identify strategic directions for innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge creation and technological diversity management by medical device manufacturers, to identify strategic directions for innovation in the medical device field.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses two types of data to assess the importance of multiple technologies and technological diversity in product development: patent applications and approvals of medical devices for sale and use in medical treatment. Additional perspective is provided by the results of a survey of management styles.
Findings
While knowledge‐creating innovation frequently combines multiple technologies, the scope of technological diversity, the variety of types of technology combined may be wider in low‐risk than in high‐risk innovation.
Research limitations/implications
The sample size is too small to justify claims of statistical significance. This research should be extended to incorporate more cases and explore the theme in greater depth.
Practical implications
Companies that choose a high‐risk strategy are likely to be more focused on related multiple technologies with which their researchers are already familiar. Conversely, companies that choose a low‐risk strategy may have more room to experiment since, if something goes wrong, the risk to patient health is lower. Innovative medical device enterprise to seek high‐risk device development is proposed to manage optimal diversity for it.
Originality/value
This paper analyses two case studies relevant to growing interest in technological diversity and knowledge management in knowledge‐driven innovation in the medical device industry in Japan.
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Rona Bahreini, Leila Doshmangir and Ali Imani
Effective maintenance management of medical equipment is one of the major issues for quality of care and cost-effectiveness especially in modern hospitals. An effective medical…
Abstract
Purpose
Effective maintenance management of medical equipment is one of the major issues for quality of care and cost-effectiveness especially in modern hospitals. An effective medical equipment maintenance management (MEMM) consists of adequate planning, management and implementation. This is essential for providing good health services and saving scarce resources. Considering the importance of the subject, the purpose of this paper is to extract the influential factors on MEMM using a qualitative approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Documents review and interviews were main methods for data collection. Semi structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 14 clinical engineers with different degree of education and job levels. Interviews were voice recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data were analyzed using a content analysis approach (inductive and deductive) to identify the underlying themes and sub-themes.
Findings
Factors influencing an effective and efficient MEMM system categorized in seven themes and 19 sub-themes emerged. The themes included: “resources,” “quality control,” “information bank,” “education,” “service,” “inspection and preventive maintenance” and “design and implementation.”
Originality/value
The proposed framework provides a basis for a comprehensive and accurate assessment of medical equipment maintenance. The findings of this study could be used to improve the profitability of healthcare facilities and the reliability of medical equipment.
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Milind Shrikant Kirkire, Santosh B. Rane and Gayatri Jayant Abhyankar
The purpose of this paper model and prioritizes barriers to product development in medical device manufacturing industries using an integrated “structural equation modelling”…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper model and prioritizes barriers to product development in medical device manufacturing industries using an integrated “structural equation modelling” (SEM) and “fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution” (FTOPSIS) framework.
Design/methodology/approach
Barriers to medical device development (MDD) are adopted from literature. The initial structural model is proposed, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis are used to determine factor loading and model fit, respectively. Further, FTOPSIS is used to rank the barriers and sensitivity analysis is carried to check the robustness of results. The results are discussed in detail and the recommendations to overcome the barriers are presented.
Findings
Barriers analysed and prioritized in this research significantly hinder the MDD. The expert survey is used to develop an initial structural equation model of barriers to MDD, find the reliability and validity of the model. Based on the opinion of the experts, the barriers are divided into three categories – internal, policy and induced barriers. FTOPSIS is applied to rank and prioritize the barriers based on views from these three classes of experts. More reliance on imported devices leading to increased imports (B11) and lack of uniform regulatory standards (B6) are found to have the highest rank together, indicating these to be the most important barriers from the perspective considered here. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the factors are less sensitive to the weights of criteria further confirming the reliability of the initial solution.
Research limitations/implications
The prioritization of barriers may vary based upon experts. Policymakers, existing and new device developers need to give utmost importance to these barriers, which will help to accelerate the indigenous development of medical devices to overcome the present dependence on imports.
Practical implications
This paper demonstrates an integrated structural based modelling and prioritization technique for statistical modelling and prioritization of barriers to MDD. The results and recommendations will help policymakers and manufacturers to increase the indigenous share of medical devices. The integrated methodology can be effectively applied where the need for the combined quantitative and qualitative approach is there.
Originality/value
This paper demonstrates an effective structural based modelling and prioritization technique. It can be effectively applied in various fields, it will help policymakers and manufacturers to increase the indigenous share of medical devices.
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S.M. Tavakoli, D.A. Pullen and S.B. Dunkerton
Aims to review polymeric materials used as adhesives and the related bonding procedures applicable in the medical industry.
Abstract
Purpose
Aims to review polymeric materials used as adhesives and the related bonding procedures applicable in the medical industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The main types of polymeric materials used as adhesives are described. Details and the main points of the adhesive bonding processes are also described with comments on their adaptability to automated assembly. Finally, typical examples of the use of adhesives in medical device applications are provided.
Research limitations/implications
Review paper with examples of applications of adhesives in assembly of medical materials and devices.
Practical implications
The appropriate selection of adhesive types and bonding parameters are critical for successful application of this technology in joining medical materials. Most currently available medical grade adhesives are only suitable for short‐term (<30 days) implantable application. The users must ensure that the properties of the selected adhesives, particularly the relevant biocompatibility and toxicity data are available and fully comply with any specific medical device application and regulation.
Originality/value
Although this is a general review paper, it contains information about new materials and processing techniques applied in successful application of adhesive bonding technology in medical devices. The information provided is expected to be of significant benefit to material scientists and design engineers evaluating and identifying suitable joining techniques for the assembly of medical devices.
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Milind Shrikant Kirkire and Santosh B. Rane
Successful device development brings substantial revenues to medical device manufacturing industries. This paper aims to evaluate factors contributing to the success of medical…
Abstract
Purpose
Successful device development brings substantial revenues to medical device manufacturing industries. This paper aims to evaluate factors contributing to the success of medical device development (MDD) using grey DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) methodology through an empirical case study.
Design/methodology/approach
The factors are identified through literature review and industry experts’ opinions. Grey-based DEMATEL methodology is used to establish the cause-effect relationship among the factors and develop a structured model. Most significant factors contributing to the success of MDD are identified. An empirical case study of an MDD and manufacturing organisation is presented to demonstrate the use of the grey DEMATEL method. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to check robustness of results.
Findings
The results of applying the grey DEMATEL methodology to evaluate success factors of MDD show that availability of experts and their experience (SF4) is the most prominent cause factor, and active involvement of stakeholders during all stages of MDD (SF3) and complete elicitation of end-user requirements (SF1) are the most prominent effect factors for successful MDD. A sensitivity analysis confirms the reliability of the initial solution.
Practical implications
The findings will greatly help medical device manufacturers to understand the success factors and develop strategies to conduct successful MDD processes.
Originality/value
In the past, few success factors to MDD have been identified by some researchers, but complex inter-relationships among factors are not analysed. Finding direct and indirect effects of these factors on the success of MDD can be a good future research proposition.
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