Medical technologies are with you all the time
From pregnancy tests to ultrasound scans, medical technology is with you from before you are born. If you scratched your knee as a child, you wore a plaster; if your vision blurs, you got glasses.
When you are unwell, diagnostics and medical devices help healthcare professionals restore you to good health as quickly as possible.
Should you need surgery, medical technologies will ensure you get the care you need in a way that is safe and minimally invasive; if your blood vessels become blocked, stents can help clear the way; if you are seriously ill, an MRI scan can find the cause; if you require monitoring, digital health tools can check your health status and communicate vital data to health professionals.
You may not always notice medical technologies, but they are always there for you.
Medical technologies – at every phase of the patient pathway
In its many forms, medical technology is beneficial to the health and quality of life. Medtech offers:
- Prevention
- Diagnosis
- Monitoring
- Treatment
- Care
There are more than 500,000 medical technologies
There are more than 500,000 medical technologies available in hospitals, community-care settings and at home.
Medical technology can be everyday objects such as sticking plasters, syringes, cancer screening tests, or latex gloves. It could also be spectacles, wheelchairs, pregnancy tests or hearing aids.
Medical technologies also include total body scanners, gene mutation tests, implantable devices such as heart valves and pacemakers, and replacement joints for knees and hips.
Three main categories of medical technologies
There are three main categories of medical technologies
- Medical devices
- In vitro diagnostics
- Digital health solutions
Longer and better lives
Medical technologies allow individuals to live longer and better lives. Medical technologies also empower people to contribute to society for longer. In doing so, they improve the quality of care, and the efficacy and sustainability of healthcare systems.
