Abstract
The chapter analyses possible contributions offered by medical devices technology in order to tackle the troubles affecting healthcare services worldwide. These issues affect the efficacy and efficiency of all healthcare systems, finally undermining their very sustainability. The most evident problems, at least in the affluent part of the world, are rising cost, mainly due to demographic changes and the increase of non-transmissible chronic diseases. In addition, the lack of adequate healthcare for the lower-income part of the society is evident and unacceptable.
The chapter will focus on the creation of value for the patients and other stakeholders starting from the care delivery value chain and will underline the contribution of the technology to improve the different healing steps.
A special consideration will be given to the need of a consistent and multidisciplinary approach including all the different components of the healthcare system from technology to infrastructure to human resources and the involved stakeholders.
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Notes
- 1.
Following the definition of the World Health Organization, a health system “consists of all organizations, people and actions whose primary intent is to promote, restore or maintain health”. Its goals are “improving health and health equity in ways that are responsive, financially fair, and make the best, or most efficient, use of available resources” [15].
- 2.
The quoted definition from EU MDR has been shortened to improve the readability. A substantially similar definition is given by WHO. More precise and detailed designation, together with the relevant implications, can be found in Chap. 4 of the present book.
- 3.
The term has been used by E. Topol [13] to make reference to the contemporary availability and ubiquity of the digital technologies (including smartphones) that may support, e.g. the self-monitoring of vital parameters, the social networking, the pervasive connectivity, the imaging capability and the powerful data processing tools.
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Boccato, C., Cerutti, S., Vienken, J. (2022). The Medical Devices Promise to the Healthcare System. In: Boccato, C., Cerutti, S., Vienken, J. (eds) Medical Devices. Research for Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85653-3_1
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