| Medical Technology benefits |
Page 1 of 2 John Wilkinson, Director General of the Association of British Healthcare Industries explains the benefits of medical technology to UK plc
In 2002, Sir Derek Wanless, in his independent report for HM Treasury, stated that the UK was a late and slow adopter of medical technology. He recognised that medical technology has the potential to allow huge improvements and savings in healthcare through increased efficiency and effectiveness. Appropriate and widespread use of medical technology has the potential to improve health outcomes via earlier and more accurate diagnosis and safer, more effective and appropriate treatment. This is especially clear when one considers the impact of advances in diagnostic technologies and devices. Cost benefits Diagnostic devices range from at-home pregnancy and blood glucose tests to sophisticated imaging machines. Appropriate application of such devices enables better healthcare decision making for patients and physicians and better targeted care that avoids unnecessary treatment costs. The cost benefits of accurate, early diagnostics are enormous when one goes beyond comparing cost effectiveness of one diagnostic to the other and considers the costs associated with missed, incorrect or late diagnosis that may result from inadequate access to diagnostic technology. Studies in the US estimated that up to 70 per cent of healthcare decisions rely on the use of diagnostic devices (Lewin report). Technologies that enable earlier diagnosis and therefore intervention drastically improve health outcomes. Diagnostic scanning such as MRI and PET are proven to be both clinically and cost effective in cancer care. Early detection of cancer means patients may avoid unnecessary surgery, avoiding associated risks, improving quality of life and reducing both immediate and long run treatment costs to the NHS. The value of technology Supply chain and work force challenges that arise from the introduction of advanced diagnostic scanning equipment cannot be underestimated, however, these technologies have become increasingly valuable and efficient thanks to parallel innovations in telecoms and IT. The use of digital and information technologies enable faster reporting and more efficient use of radiologists via tele-medicine. Infrastructural problems currently limit the use of tele-medicine to address work force challenges in diagnostic scanning and should be addressed, as these objectives are included in the recent Government White Paper. Additionally, at an earlier point, both the NHS Plan and the NHS Improvement Plan recommend increased application of telemedicine. The benefit of investment in medical technology such as advanced scanning equipment goes beyond clinical advantage for individual patients. In a BMJ article, King’s Fund fellow Rebecca Rosen points out that such an investment by a hospital may attract good staff, avoid the potentially harmful delays and administrative burden associated with transferring patients elsewhere for care and the potential to generate income by servicing other trusts. While diagnostics provide a clear example of the clinical and financial benefits of technology, the same benefit is apparent in evaluation of devices used for treatment or drug delivery. |
||||
| < Prev |
|---|
About HB
| Profile |
| Media Information |
| Sister Sites |
| Privacy |
Latest Issue
