Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry
Magazine
MDDI Article Index
An MD&DI June 1999 Column
EDITOR'S PAGE
The More Things Change...MD&DI Builds on a Mission Set 20 Years Ago
On MD&DI's 20th anniversary, a review of the magazine's first editorial reveals that although the cutting edge is always advancing, the overriding goal remains unchanged.
The passage that follows—which appeared on the "Publisher's Page" under the title "A New Avenue of Communication" in June 1979—represents the first editorial item published in the first issue of Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry. As one reads it again, two things stand out. The first is that the "complexity and sophistication" of devices and the "prodigious growth" of the industry celebrated in the essay have been multiplied many times over in the intervening 20 years, amid unimagined technological change. The second is that the essential mission of the magazine—the "timely dissemination of knowledge"—and the importance of input from our readers remain absolutely the same.—J.K.
"The medical device and diagnostic industry is, in the final analysis, an intricate network, a vast reticulum of individuals—biologists, chemists, engineers, researchers, and technicians—with widely divergent areas of specialization and expertise. The products for which these individuals share responsibility are equally disparate, ranging from surgical implants to cardiac pacemakers, from limb prostheses to chemical reagents, from catheters to CT scanners.
"Were an informal poll to be conducted among industry members, however, few would dispute that the key watchword in the area of devices and diagnostics—that is to say, the word that best encapsulates the character and nature of the industry—is progress.
"Within the past decade, for example, artificial implants and electronic diagnostic and therapeutic devices have assumed such prominence and reached such a high level of complexity and sophistication that they have created new subdisciplines and areas of specialization in the allied healthcare field.
"Paralleling this dramatic increase in the complexity of devices and diagnostics has, of course, been a concomitant rise in productivity and in demand. Growth in the industry, then, has meant fast-paced technological innovation, increased productivity, and further product diversification.
"As would be the case in any industry, this prodigious growth has created new areas of concern for virtually all professionals involved in device and diagnostic manufacturing. For rapid technological advances are inevitably accompanied by a growing need for new avenues of communication and new means by which industry members can share and exchange ideas pertinent to their field. Promulgation of the device GMPs has added a further dimension to these areas of concern, as manufacturers strive to determine the precise manner in which the new regulations will affect their products and processes.
"It is in this arena of growth, of expansion, that Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry—the first magazine devoted exclusively to the needs and interests of device and diagnostic manufacturing professionals—makes its debut. Recognizing that its readers require timely dissemination of knowledge in this era of rapid change, Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry will take a pragmatic approach to advances, developments, and techniques. How-to articles will focus on applied technologies; monthly features will keep readers informed of regulatory trends, upcoming scientific and technical meetings, symposia and seminars, new product information, and industry news. It will be a source of facts, ideas, insights, and alerts—information that can be adapted, adopted, and used. Toward that end, we invite your comments and suggestions regarding topics pertinent to your interests.
"In short, this is your magazine—and in order to best serve your needs, we need to know what you want to know."
Jon Katz
