ABHI LEADERSHIP
Delivering Care More Sustainably: How Technology Can be Utilised
HealthTech is a major contributor to sustaining and saving lives, providing products from medical consumables to orthopaedic implants, surgical robots and digitally enhanced technologies. As such, the industry has unique barriers in reaching its sustainability targets, with patient safety a priority that can never be compromised. For example, contaminated needles used in hospitals cannot be recycled in the same way as a plastic bottle can, and given the complex design of many products, there are distinctive challenges when addressing this critical agenda.
Utilising Technology in Sustainability That said, HealthTech can be a great vehicle for delivering care more sustainably, as exemplified throughout the pandemic, where apps monitored cases, and remote triage became the norm to manage attendance to a healthcare facility. Using technology to change the patient pathway can therefore save a wealth of resources, including the fuel patients use to travel to hospital, as well as the devices and energy involved in managing hospital admissions. Indeed, the most sustainable hospital stay is the one that does not happen. This is not about replacing doctors with digital
tools, but rather, avoiding unnecessary visits to a hospital through technology utilisation, and in turn supporting our healthcare workforce to free-up their time to focus more on each patient
DUB AI 2023
Addie MacGregor Sustainability Executive, ABHI
interaction and complex cases.
Improving Early Diagnosis Early diagnosis is also key. A cancer patient diagnosed at stage 1, rather than stage 4, for example, would not only experience a greater chance of survival, but the amount of electricity, fuel, medical devices and medicine will be greatly reduced, all aiding more sustainable care. Minimally invasive procedures, such as
laparoscopy, can also be utilised to deliver surgery in a targeted way, lowering costs to the healthcare system as patients have a reduced hospital stay, recover quicker, and have an overall better experience.
Creating Circular Product Lifecycles HealthTech suppliers are making impressive advances. From the materials used in their technologies, to how they can be recycled and reused safely, suppliers are designing product life cycles with circularity in mind. At ABHI we have also produced a Sustainability Framework for Action for our members to aid their own sustainability journey. The levels of innovation within the sector
are already inspiring, but there are still many advancements to be made. HealthTech can be used to make healthcare better for both patient and planet.
To find out more about ABHI’s work, visit
www.abhi.org.uk
UKHEALT HCAREPA VILION. COM 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58
