Transcript Introduction to Medical Technologies

Introduction
 Medical technologies are
devices that extend
and/or improve life.
 They can reduce pain,
injury or a handicap as
well as increase the
effectiveness of patient
care.
Introduction
 It is important to realize
that medical
technologies do not just
refer to devices, but also
to advancements in care
such as operating rooms,
rooms for labour,
ambulances, biopsy labs,
etc… since they help
improve and extend life
and improve patient care
as well.
The Benefits
 Medical technologies are
beneficial for 4 main
reasons:
1) Earlier detection of
problems
2) Less invasive treatment
options
3) Reduction in hospital
stays
4) Reduction in
rehabilitation time
Subcategories
 Medical technology has
four subcategories:
1) Medical Devices
2) Medical Research
3) Training Devices
4) Information
Technology
1) Medical Devices
 The Canadian Food and
Drug Act defines a
medical device as a
“health or medical
instrument used in the
treatment, mitigation,
diagnosis or prevention
of a disease or abnormal
physical condition.”
1) Medical Devices
 They are further
subdivided by risk of
injury to the patient if
the device is misused.
1) Medical Devices
 Low risk devices would be
things like a thermometer
or a breast pump, which if
used improperly, could
cause minor injuries to a
patient.
1) Medical Devices
 Medium risk devices
include things like
Ultrasound machines or
Surgical drills, which if
used improperly could
seriously harm a patient.
1) Medical Devices
 High risk devices include
things like Anesthesia
Ventilators and Incubators,
which if used improperly
could kill a patient.
2) Medical Research
 It is simply any research
that has increased the
body of knowledge in the
field of medicine.
2) Medical Research
 It can be done to test and find new surgical techniques
such as microsurgery.
2) Medical Research
 It can be done to find
and test possible new
cures for diseases.
 Examples of the fruits of
this research are
penicillin to treat
bacterial infections,
human insulin for
diabetics and vaccines to
combat harmful viruses.
2) Medical Research
 There are many
challenges ahead for
medical researchers to
solve.
 The two main ones at
this moment are the
appearance of antibiotic
resistant strains of
bacteria (MRSA and C.
difficile) as well as
general worldwide
obesity.
3) Training Devices
 These are simply devices
doctors and nurses in
training would use that
help them develop their
skills without the
potential harm to a
living patient.
 Examples are practice
Epi-pens and Virtual
Patient websites.
4) Information Technology
 This is simply a co-
ordination of all the
patients’ medical records
together in one place/file.
 It is basically the
Maplewood for hospitals
and other Healthcare
facilities.
 Beneficial to keeping track
of patient medical allergies
and their current
medications.
Homework Questions
1) What are medical technologies and what are its four
2)
3)
4)
5)
main subdivisions?
What is considered a medical device in Canada?
Provide two other high-risk, medium-risk and lowrisk medical devices that were not given.
In your opinion, what is one area you believe medical
research should be focused on? Why?
Give an example of a training device and the risks
involved if someone did not go through the training
process.