M DEA 2009
The Little Devices
That Could
A promising crop of miniature and easily concealed medical devices enables
patients to do more with less equipment.
Lawrence Lloyd
Making daily tasks
easier for people is
a simple but effective path to success. That
concept wasn’t lost on winners of this year’s Medical
Design Excellence Awards
(MDEA). Patient-enabling
technology was at the fore-
front among this year’s win-
ners. This was often executed
in the form of miniature, more-
convenient devices that allow users
to continue with their daily lives with
minimal interruption because of health
concerns. These devices can fit inside a pocket,
an ear, a shoe, or even a nostril.
Devices that enable the patient help “keep people out of
the hospital and move healthcare to the home,” according
to MDEA juror Steve Wilcox, principal and founder of the
firm Design Science (Philadelphia). This is especially the
case as medical devices continue to improve the quality of
life for people with chronic conditions.
“The trend is to minimize the complications and compromises for the patient, while providing better compensation for the chronic condition,” Wilcox says.
Sweeter Meters and Controls
For diabetics that self-test for blood glucose levels, accuracy is critical. To that end, Bionostics Inc. (Devens, MA)
The UniDose can be bundled
with glucose test strips to
make testing easier for the
user.
has developed a single-use
product that enables the user
to verify the performance of
a blood glucose test system
with a single drop of quality
control solution. The UniDose
glucose meter check control, a foil
package containing test solution for
glucose meters, is smaller than a stan-
dard business card and virtually just as
thin. The easily opened control packet is made
of laminated foil.
Current control products are often supplied in start-up
kits for recently diagnosed diabetics, and Medicare patients
receive them once every three months. But obtaining replacements can be tricky. Local pharmacies may not carry
replacement controls, and they typically have to be ordered
by mail. The UniDose’s small size allows it to be bundled
with each package of glucose test strips and to be quickly
available when needed.
“If delivered together with glucose test strips, the right
control solution is always readily available to comply with
manufacturers’ instructions to test each new set of test
strips prior to use to ensure they are measuring correctly,”
says Randy Byrd, vice president and CTO of Bionostics.
“Improved compliance should improve outcomes.”
