Telemedicine was already on the rise even before COVID-19 hit. However, it’s one thing for a medical professional to consult with a patient virtually – it’s a bigger challenge to perform diagnostics and monitoring from a distance. As our population grows and ages, along with the increasing rates of chronic health issues, our healthcare system is at risk of being overwhelmed. One strategy to keep up with demand and reduce overall cost is with remote patient monitoring.

Cleanliness and contamination have taken on completely new meanings in 2020. However, these ideas have always been important in the manufacturing realm – and not necessarily to prevent the spread of viruses. When making products with sensitive components or to strict industry regulations, finding a reliable and certified cleanroom manufacturing partner is critical to your success.

Medical knowledge and technology have advanced at incredible rates. Many of today’s routine tests and procedures would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago. Yet with all the innovation, people are still the heart of our medical care. And that means human error is always a possibility. Take, for instance, the field of spinal surgery. According to a 2014 survey by the North American Spine Society (NASS), 68% of respondents stated that at some point in their careers, they performed either wrong-level exposures or wrong-level surgeries on the spine. Not only can inaccurate procedures be extremely harmful to patients but resulting lawsuits can result in damages over $1 million. Mistakes can happen in any area of medicine. While there are numerous factors that can cause them, many are preventable. One strategy is improving the accuracy of testing and procedures with radiopaque markers.

Bigger, faster, stronger. That’s the motto of the Olympics and athletes around the world. But when it comes to product design and manufacturing, the philosophy is often: lighter is better.   The strategy of lightweighting has been embraced by the automotive and transportation industries for many years now. But many other industries can benefit from this approach, including medical devices, medical equipment, industrial products, aerospace, and more.

When working on a medical device, we are often so focused on our specific task or responsibility, it can be easy to lose sight of where your efforts fit into the big picture. But the reality is, what you’re making is being used in the real world by real people – whether directly by a patient or to help a medical professional do their job more effectively or efficiently. To keep this in perspective, here are a few common medical device components and the value that they provide.  

For the inaugural episode of the Better Product Solutions Podcast, Steve is joined by Len Allison from Engineered Material Systems to discuss flexible printed electronics, changes in materials, ASTM standards and the overall durability characteristics that make this a reality. Watch the video or read the full conversation transcript.

Millions of patients depend on medical devices for diagnosis, monitoring, or treatment of health conditions. An incredible amount of time and expertise is required to ensure these devices work properly – from extensive research and development to hands-on care from a medical professional. But at the end of the day, a medical device can only do its job when it’s effectively attached to the patient, which is why securement is a critical aspect to consider during product development.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many questions as to how we will move forward once the spread of the virus is reduced. While no one knows for sure what the future will hold, it’s safe to say that everyday life will not be the same for some time. The “new normal” may likely include wearing masks, avoiding large crowds, reducing travel, and other precautions. There may also be a new expectation for OEMs to produce products with an elevated focus on consumer health and safety.

In our personal lives, long-term and valuable relationships are rarely formed based on a single attribute. The same goes for having a productive relationship with a contract manufacturer. While there are numerous benefits to outsourcing manufacturing, it's critical that you select the right partner. To do so, there are also many factors to consider (hint: not just price).

The more innovative and unique your product is, the more likely that you will need to create new components that aren’t readily available. This may sound like a daunting task, but it’s actually quite practical through custom materials converting. Custom converting is an overarching term that applies to any process that modifies original material to suit your product design. It can be as simple as slicing a sheet of material to a different size, or as complex as combining multiples processes to create an innovative, fully operational product. While the possibilities of custom converting are virtually endless, there are a handful of popular processes you can use.