FEATURE: MEDICAL AV
Barco’s Nexxis IP platform meets the complex imaging need within the first hybrid operating room to be opened by AZ Maastricht hospital
[KEY POINTS]
While growth in healthcare spending varies from territory to territory it is, on average, forecast to rise substantially
AV in healthcare comprises a mix of ‘standard’, ‘adapted’ and ‘specially developed’ products
Quality, reliability and security are key characteristics of all products deployed in healthcare applications
Because it improves workflows and clinical outcomes, AV technology will become increasingly pervasive in healthcare
An optimistic prognosis
There isn’t an industry in the world that’s not looking to be more efficient, more effective, more productive, offer better customer service – and cut costs. Ian McMurray finds out how AV technology is enabling healthcare organisations to do all those things
ACCORDING TO a recent report in the Financial Times, Philips is currently spending 60% more on R&D in high- growth medical sectors such as imaging systems than it was four years ago, betting that capital investment in healthcare will continue its historical rise. The company apparently spent €803 million on medical research in 2012 – almost twice as much as it spent on lighting, a market in which it is the world leader. The stakes are high. In
2010, for example, the world spent just over 10% of $70 trillion of GDP on healthcare. Spending on ICT in healthcare in the US is forecast to rise by around 22.5% this year: in India, 22% CAGR is forecast. That’s no surprise. In the
developed world, baby boomers are reaching the age when they need more healthcare. In other countries, there are concerted government efforts to bring healthcare up to western standards (the 10% of GDP noted above masks an inequality in which some spend as little as 4% of GDP, while others spend 20%).
22 September 2013
GROWTH – BUT NOT EVERYWHERE As such, the market for AV solutions in healthcare shows considerable variations by territory. North America and Europe are showing steady growth – although within Europe, there are differences. According to Philip Brandt, who is European marketing manager, surgery at Sony Europe, southern European countries such as Greece, Portugal and Spain are in decline, while the likes of Germany, the UK, Benelux, France and the Nordics are seeing strong growth. Barco’s Warren Kressinger-Dunn, who is responsible for strategic marketing point-of-care, notes a similar phenomenon, and points out that the Middle East – especially Saudi Arabia – is seeing significant growth. The challenges of delivering
more healthcare to more people are exacerbated by a significant problem. “The Association of American Medical Colleges has predicted a shortfall of more than 150,000 medical doctors over the next 15 years,” points out Tom Pfeuffer, VP of
applicable across a broad range of applications are developed with input from medical professionals. “For example,” says Allan
‘Selling in the healthcare industry can be complex’
Tom Pfeuffer, Haivision
medical markets at Haivision. “That means that there is a greater need for technologies that will improve efficiency and patient care.” And there is no question
that AV technologies are making a contribution. For some companies, like Haivision and Blackmagic Design, products that are
Leonhardsen of Holdan, Blackmagic Design’s UK distributor, “the medical market also often requires unique resolutions for interfacing with X-ray machines and so on which do not follow normal video standards”. Others, like Polycom, supplement their multifunctional videoconferencing offering with solutions such as the Polycom Practitioner Cart. Sony has a similar approach. “Technologies like 4K and
3D were originally developed for the consumer market,” notes Brandt. “However, they are also of great benefit to professional services, so Sony uses technology from other business groups including its consumer, professional and components divisions. But not all technology can be used in other sectors, so Sony also develops products purely designed for the healthcare market.”
HEALTHCARE-SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS Companies like Barco have also developed product families for healthcare. “We bring solutions that address specific clinical challenges and fully comprehend the certification and regulatory requirements of this market,” notes Lynda Domogalla, vice president, product marketing for healthcare at Barco. In some healthcare
environments, that understanding – and compliance with standards such as DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) – is critical. In others – digital signage, for example, or lecture theatres – ‘standard’ products will generally suffice. All, however, are capable of making an important contribution to improved patient care, improved clinical staff efficiency and effectiveness, and reducing cost. Barco’s CareConnex system, for example, has at its heart a patient bedside terminal which, among many other capabilities, provides electronic meal ordering –
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