Exploring the characteristics of an Appropriate Medical Equipment label to aid the intended use of equipment in low-and-middle-income countries

In Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), a significant challenge lies in the misalignment between available medical equipment and the specific needs of these regions. For example the needs of being adapted to low resource settings. A lot of medical equipment is not adapted to be operated in low-resource settings. This situation has prompted a...

Incentives for Manufacturers in Certifying Medical Equipment for Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Unveiling the Potential of Appropriate Medical Equipment Label

Medical equipment supplied to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are often substandard and inappropriate to the contextual needs. The majority of equipment entering these countries are donated or financed by external agencies. Procurement of equipment also happens through public tendering. However, the assessment and management of the...

From Intuition to Impact: How can Unifix Care make more effective decisions while maintaining its 'just do it' mentality?

You will be reading a comprehensive study that examines the shortage of instruments for performing surgery in sub-Saharan Africa and the wastage of quality surgical instruments in the Netherlands. The report explores the potential solution of repositioning the excess instruments to sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on three product categories...

Detecting Medical Equipment in the Catheterization Laboratory using Computer Vision

Workflow analysis aims to improve the efficiency and safety in operating rooms by analysing surgical processes and providing feedback or support, where observations can be made and evaluated by algorithms rather than human experts. For our study, we mount five calibrated cameras from different angles in a Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab) to...

A framework for assessing the resilience of after-sales service supply chains in the medical equipment industry

As the complexity of global supply chains increases, so does the turbulence and disruption they are suffering from. The medical equipment after-sales service supply chain is closely related to the healthcare industry. Therefore, the ability to provide high levels of customer satisfaction with after-sales services affects not only the performance...

MedTech Digital Platform: Adjusting the e-procurement process in Romanian healthcare

With healthcare systems being regarded as one of the critical infrastructure sectors, evaluated as a multi-trillion-dollar industry, and with 5 % to 10 % of total health expenditures allocated to medical devices, it is important to pay special attention to what and how technologies are brought into hospitals. This is heavily influenced by good...

BRINGING TECHNOLOGY TO LIFE: Increasing the amount of in-service medical equipment by developing a MOOC to train Biomedical Equipment Technicians in Low-/ Middle Income Countries

Currently between 30% till 50%, some even state up to 70%, of medical and laboratory equipment is reported as out of service, due to small or large technical failures or due to missing knowledge of how to use well-functioning equipment in Low-/ Middle- Income Countries (LMIC). This is not due to the complexity of the required repair, but due to,...

Equipment for essential surgical care in 9 countries across Africa: availability, barriers and need for novel design

Shortages of medical equipment in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) have been found by several previous studies that assessed surgical capacity. To increase surgical capacity, there is a need to identify the availability of specific types of surgical equipment on a local, regional and national level. A survey was conducted among surgeons...

A design tool for refurbishment: Generating industry specific design rules

This thesis presents the results of a single case study performed at Philips Refurbished Systems, focusing on a medical imaging system: interventional X-ray, which enables Image Guided Therapy (IGT). The goal of the study was to add value to the refurbishment activities at Refurbished Systems by developing design rules for refurbishment. This...

Better Learning - Better Care: Increasing the motivation of nurses for using medical equipment e-learning

E-learning is a common used education method within different types of organization, as well in the medical sector. Both nurses and physicians are obligated, partly by law and partly by the medical institutions, to take examinations to maintain their accreditation confirming they are qualified and competent to use medical devices. The Competence...