Health innovation groups

Health innovation groups, a relatively new type of health-system group, perform analysis, conduct post-market trials, recommend new technologies, and plan implementation projects for large health care organizations. A clinical engineer is a perfect fit for this emei ing field. 

Joaima Chataway is Director of the Irmovation, Health and Science Group at RAND Europe, a not-for-profit policy research institute, and Professor of Biotechnology and Development at the Open University. She has held senior positions and appointments across a range of academic, policy research, consulting and research funding bodies. She has particular expertise in the field of health innovation and has researched extensively the range of factors that influence the rate and direction of product and process innovation in health. 

Direction of innovation (6b) How can the direction of innovation (health, environment and sustainability) be evaluated from the scientific viewpoint of the SubChem research group Have, for example, the toxic risks been reduced or only been shifted ... 

Direction of innovation (from the standpoint of the SubChem research group - 6b) If biopersistent basalt rock wools are replaced by biosolnble mineral fibres (in manufacture, processing, recycling), the internal exposure that causes cancer is reduced. This makes a significant contribution to occupational health and safety. 

Direction of innovation tfrom the standpoint of the SubChem research group - 6bl Some of the available alternatives, particularly the dibasic esters, are of lower risk mainly due to their lower vapom pressure. In contrast high volatile DCM-substitutes like methanol, can not be regarded as a suitable alternative for enviromnental and health purposes. 

Nevertheless, it appears that pharmaceutical industry lobbyists in Australia may already be using ambit claims about the impact of the AUSFTA PBS-related provisions on "innovation" to push for favorable governmental and bureaucratic decisions. Claims related to cost-effectiveness may include that the PBAC process should be more willing to break the therapeutic groupings of reference pricing for new products on pharmacologic, rather than health outcome data. 

Human factors laboratories are also being started by clinical engineers for example, at the Beaumont Hospital s Technology Usability Center in Michigan, USA, and the Healthcare Human Factors group of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada. 

Department of Health. 2008. Impact Assessment of the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation Payment Framework. Available at http //www.dh.gov.uk/ prod consum dh/groups/dh digitalassets/ dh/ en/documents/digitalasset/ dh 091690.pdf (last accessed on 28 July 2012). 

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