TECHNOLOGY ARTICLES

An ‘Essential guide to medical equipment principles’, has been launched to help new clinical engineers, junior nurses, medics and operating department practitioners (ODPs) understand the fundamentals of many of the standard medical devices they will encounter in a hospital environment.

Oliver Ledgard provides an insight into the findings of a recent study, which shows that integrating automated and digitised inventory tracking systems is a major priority for healthcare organisations.

How can we ensure the HealthTech sector promotes a culture that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive? As part of International Women’s Day, CSJ invited some top female HealthTech leaders to share their views on why diversity matters in the sector, their leadership vision for the future, and how we can encourage the next generation of women to drive innovation forward in this field.

The latest digital solutions are empowering clinicians to deliver safer and more effective personalised care. Matt Jeffreys explores how these transformative innovations can significantly improve patient safety outcomes by streamlining processes, enhancing communication and enabling data-driven decision-making.

IT system failures have been linked to the deaths of three patients and more than 100 instances of serious harm at NHS hospital Trusts in England. Gary Day discusses the way forward for the digitisation of patient data and warns that getting this right is essential to meet the NHS’s challenges, both now and in the future.

A lack of diversity in medical device testing can lead to clinicians unknowingly deploying devices that perform inadequately in certain demographic groups. Stuart Grant and Sheena Macpherson highlight the impact on patient outcomes and how to manage the risks.

In England, the NHS produces around 600,000 tonnes of waste annually, costing more than £115 million to dispose of. Thomas Needs, from Incision, provides an insight into how digital technology can enable theatre teams to reduce waste, cut costs, and improve sustainability.

The Clinical Services Journal recently visited Starkstrom’s new state-of-the-art demonstration and training facility. Here, the latest vital infrastructure and new technologies can be explored, touched and configured – helping to visualise and optimise operating theatres of the future.

The integration of AI in healthcare holds transformative potential to enhance patient care, but it also brings forward essential ethical considerations that need addressing to ensure fair and equitable deployment.1,2 Dr. Julia Mokhova and Kenza Benkirane discuss this significant topic and argue that AI should be “an assistant, but not a doctor”.

In this article, the Association of British HealthTech Industries’ Jonathan Evans explores the immense potential of HealthTech to not only drive sustainability and economic growth, but also to address pressing healthcare challenges through innovation and collaboration.

Peter Søgaard considers how digital technology could be harnessed to reduce admissions and improve rehabilitation, with the aim of providing improved patient care and reduced pressures on the acute sector.

With the expansion of virtual wards, what steps are being put in place to mitigate the clinical safety risks of spreading assets across multiple teams and organisations, and into the community? Steven Bruce explores the role of a hybrid asset tracking model to support efficient and safe care.

While digital advancements are exciting and hold much promise, they also pose significant issues, especially concerning bias in AI models. Tackling these challenges will require comprehensive strategies for detecting and mitigating bias, alongside robust regulatory frameworks, says Tim Bubb.

Gary Mooney discusses the role of technology in driving safety improvements in medication management, as well as the personalisation of therapies through pharmacogenomics.

Dr. Mark Gostock and Dr. Iain Miller discuss the potential for artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to support early diagnosis of sepsis and reduce antimicrobial resistance.

Fiona Kirk, a former nurse and now a clinical consultant for Ascom, explores how technology is not only enabling better health outcomes, slicker clinical processes and supporting clinicians, it’s also empowering patients to take greater ownership of their health and wellbeing.

A report published by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) previously highlighted the dangers of incorrect patient information. Sean Kelly & Dan Johnston argue that establishing a digital identity strategy for clinicians, devices and patients will usher in a safer and more efficient workflow.

Smart phone technology is being implemented by UK hospitals for preoperative assessment, as well as remotely monitoring patients’ wounds. The Clinical Services Journal spoke to Chris Taylor, a director at Isla, to find out how the technology could help improve perioperative care.