Originally Published EMDM October 2001
Welcome to EMDM's first Internet issue. In January of this year, EMDM marked a milestone with the introduction of Web Watch, a regular section of the magazine dedicated to Internet-related issues of interest to the device sector. From Web sites to wireless devices, the goal of Web Watch is to bring you news and advice that you can use to chart your company's course in the Internet age.
This month's issue features a special, expanded version of Web Watch that includes a number of articles touching on the Internet's relationship to the medical industry. One article in the section reports on IBM's construction of a next-generation Internet in the UK. The massive computing grid, which is being built to support national scientific projects, also holds promise for collaborative applications in engineering and the life sciences.
A regular feature of Web Watch is the listing of noteworthy industry Web sites, which are reviewed in the e-news column. In this special issue, we've supplemented the conventional e-news briefs with the Web Directory, which lists the most up-to-date information on medical technology suppliers in a convenient grid format. More than 800 of the industry's leading suppliers are listed, along with their Web sites and areas of core expertise.
Another article in the section highlights an interesting example of on-line consulting: a medical manufacturer trying to design a seal for a new heart valve enlisted the aid of a knowledge management company and received an unlikely expert opinion. The story is a perfect example of the way in which the Internet is changing industry's approach to collaboration. I hope you find this and the other articles in the section to be both thought provoking and useful.
In other news, device manufacturers will have an opportunity to collaborate traditionally on 17 and 18 October, when the 9th Global Medical Devices Conference comes to the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I in Barcelona, Spain. For those of you who are not familiar with the event, the Global Conference aims to promote the role of medical technology as a key element in international healthcare.
The event will be hosted by EUCOMED and supported by other European and international associations. Attendees will include medical OEMs, patients, doctors, political leaders, and regulatory professionals from every corner of industry.
Chaired by Barry Wilson, president of Medtronic International, the conference programme will address the theme "Improved Patient Access to New Medical Technology." Four plenary sessions will cover such topics as recent medical technology innovations, patient access to emerging technologies, and risk management. Meanwhile, a series of workshops will cover regulatory and technical developments in specific geographical regions, health technology assessment, and public relations in the device sector.
The keynote address at the conference will be delivered by Guy Verhofstadt, prime minister of Belgium and president of the EU. A conference dinner will close the event's first day and will feature guest speaker Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society.
Incidentally, I'd like to alert readers that there will be a conference session on the 18th dedicated to relations with the media. The session will address efficient press communication strategies through role-playing games and simulations. Should you find yourself inspired by this session and have an interesting story to tell, you may wish to put your new skills to the test by rubbing elbows with group editor Norbert Sparrow, who will be on assignment in Barcelona to cover the conference for EMDM and its sister publications.
Finally, the Global Medical Devices Conference will be preceded by the Global Harmonization Task Force (GHTF) Conference, which runs at the same venue on 11–16 October. For more information on the GHTF conference, visit www.ghtf.org.
For more information on the Global Medical Devices Conference, contact EUCOMED at Place Saint Lambert 14, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium; phone: +32 2 7722212; fax: +32 2 7713909; e-mail: chantal.porges@eucomed.be; or visit the conference Web site at http://www.gmdconference.com.
Copyright ©2001 European Medical Device Manufacturer
