7 Smart Product Trends Reshaping Medical Devices

I have recently been interviewed by QMed article about the future trends for smart products in medical devices.

The dual challenges of high healthcare costs and a spike in chronic diseases are changing how we think about medical device development. Treating the diabetes epidemic alone will be a huge challenge considering that, by 2050, the CDC has estimated (PDF link) one out of three Americans will have the disease. Fifty years ago, fewer than one out of 100 people were diabetic, while now, roughly one in 10 are.  

There is reason for hope, however. As healthcare technology becomes smarter, it becomes more adept at addressing these challenges, says Solène Bourgeois (pictured), director of industrial and interaction design at Bridge Design (a San Francisco–based design firm recently acquired by Ximedica).

Bourgeois sees the niche gradually being transformed by the following seven trends.