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Judging Process and Criteria

Since its inception in 1998, the Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) program has become the premier competition for the medical technology community, recognizing both the design achievements and healthcare contributions of medical product manufacturers. In order to represent all facets of healthcare, the MDEA competition accepts entries in the following 10 product categories:

  • Critical-care and emergency medicine products.
  • Dental instruments, equipment, and supplies.
  • Finished packaging.
  • General hospital devices and therapeutic products.
  • Implant and tissue-replacement products.
  • In vitro diagnostics.
  • Over-the-counter and self-care products.
  • Radiological and electromechanical devices.
  • Rehabilitation and assistive-technology products.
  • Surgical equipment, instruments, and supplies.

Judging of the entries is conducted by an impartial panel of jurors who carefully review each product submission. Over the three-day judging period, teams of jurors evaluate all of the year’s entries and narrow them down to a select group of exceptional products in each of the categories. When reviewing the products, the jurors consider all of the following criteria:

  • Innovative use of materials, components, or processes in the fabrication of the product.
  • The ability of the product development team to overcome design and engineering challenges so that the product meets its clinical objectives.
  • User-related design and engineering features that improve healthcare delivery, with special attention to functional innovations that broaden the scope of users, change traditional medical attitudes or practices, or offer significant use-related improvements.
  • Design and engineering features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient (e.g., comfort, fit, service access, safety, appropriate aesthetics, overall improvement of healthcare).
  • Aspects of product design and engineering that improve the manufacturer’s profitability.
  • Product features that improve the overall delivery of healthcare.

The multiphase judging process culminates with the entire jury convening to hear each team of jurors present its final selections. The full jury conducts an open discussion of all finalists in each category, and then votes to determine the products that will be designated MDEA winners.

The jury may assign any number of gold and silver awards according to the merits of the entries. Although it is generally expected that there will be only one gold winner in each category, this decision is left to the discretion of the judges. Similarly, the jury may assign any number of silver awards.

Winners of each year’s MDEA competition are formally notified during March. However, public announcement of the winning products is embargoed until the April issue of the competition’s sponsoring publication, Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine. Companies are not told whether their entries are gold or silver winners until the awards presentation at the Medical Design & Manufacturing East Conference and Exposition, in June.

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