COMPAMED Innovation Forum: Sensors are the key to tomorrow’s digital hospital world

On 10 July 2019, the COMPAMED Innovation Forum took place at the Helios Clinic in Krefeld and focused on high-tech solutions for hospitals. With its new concept, this year’s forum created a direct dialogue between the manufacturers and developers of technical solutions and the end product users.

Not compact enough, not flexible enough, too expensive, cannot be integrated sensibly into operational procedures on the wards—the shortcomings users listed for medical technology products was seemingly endless. The first introductory discussion already indicated that high-tech medical technology in particular often seems to have been developed at cross purposes to the real needs of medical professionals.

Franziska Niederschelp from the Helios Clinic presented the digitisation measures that have been implemented and the progress within the Helios Group. In future, voice assistance systems for doctor’s letters and file management will play a particular role. A further focal point is the patient data gained from medical devices, laboratories and wards, which has to be bundled automatically and combined digitally.

Anaesthetist and intensive and emergency care Dr. Jens Ebnet raised awareness for the particular demands medical technology faces in acute situations. As lack of acceptance, possibly due to moral conflicts, may give rise to risks, it is necessary to sufficiently involve specialist doctors in the development of automated, data-processing medical devices. Using Swordcath, his own development of an intuitive system for inserting blood catheters,   as an example, he also criticised regulatory hurdles and the lack of political support for small and mid-sized companies.

In her talk, Maren Gessler from the Helios Centre for Research and Innovation in Wuppertal explained that there certainly are options to support and fund innovative concepts and ideas.             

Sensors allow applications that improve patient care 

The second session centred on technologies that may offer innovative opportunities for application in diagnostics and therapies. Swiss company CSEM has developed an optical method of reliably monitoring blood pressure. The method uses the light of a conventional smartphone’s camera via an app. Eike Kottkamp from InnoME explained the advantages of single-use sensor products: In fields of use that do not require high precision measurements, single-use sensors are attractive alternatives to elaborate and expensive sterilisation processes and open up new fields of application, for example under wound dressings. Dr. Dirk Janasek from ISAS e.V. presented an innovative procedure for reliable haemophilia testing.  Michael Görtz from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems explained how sensor implants are able to continuously monitor functions such as blood pressure, intraocular pressure and cerebral pressure and support therapy measures. Among other topics, Dr. Heike Kreher from Micronit explained how microfluidic chips used in rapid tests can identify a subtype of leukaemia, for example, and open up timely therapy measures for patients.

Regular exchange between users and manufacturers is essential

Another major theme were the presentations and discussions surrounding the development of products that are already market-ready and successfully in use—including in Krefeld. The spectrum ranges from intelligent home-alert systems by the easierLife GmbH, WLAN connections for medical-technical devices, an in-house logistics system that automatically prepares the medication doses for inpatients, an infrared-based system that discretely monitors the rooms of patients who are at risk of falling, innovative visitation trolleys for hospital staff and robotics systems that support paraplegics and can also be used by care staff who have to carry heavy loads.

The lively and productive discussions between the talks and in closing emphasised the tremendous need for communication between users and manufacturers.