As a society, we are intrigued by design. We want things to look
aesthetically pleasing and stylish. It shows in the vast array of
interiors magazines on the newsstand and television networks that
focus solely on home improvements. And it doesn't stop with home
design. Cars are becoming sleeker, and home electronics continue to
push the envelope when it comes to size and capabilities.
In the same vein, users of home oxygen, power chairs and other
home medical equipment share a desire for products that complement
their homes and fit their active lifestyles. In response, the HME
industry is moving forward with new designs that not only look good
but also exceed the performance of their predecessors.
“Consumer-centric designs and functionality are at the
forefront,” says Ron Richard, vice president of marketing for
the Americas for ResMed, Poway, Calif. “At ResMed, we are
doing a lot more from the ground up and getting patient input early
on, so we develop the right products and get them out on time with
the right features.”
Keeping customer needs in mind is essential, says Mark Miller,
vice president of marketing for Pride Mobility Products.
“What we are passionate about is supplying these products to
people so they can do the things that they want,” he says.
“That is why the designs need to be innovative, why they need
to look great and why the quality needs to be extremely
high.”
Using the latest technology and pushing product design to the
next level to improve patient care is apparent in all product
categories.
“There's a spirit of creativity and a spirit of invention
that is apparent when you're driven to find an answer, and when you
know the answer is to come up with something that improves the
standard of care for patients,” says Geoff Deane, Santa
Barbara, Calif.-based Inogen's vice president of engineering and
chief technology officer.
PRODUCTS WITH STYLE
Scott Wilkinson, group product manager of respiratory for
Elyria, Ohio-based Invacare Corp., says results from patient focus
groups reveal that the trends in product design for respiratory
patients are the same trends that society in general craves.
“When you look at cell phones, laptop computers, radios
and digital music players, everything is smaller, lighter, more
compact, and easier to use,” he explains. “It's the
same thing for the respiratory patients. They want smaller
[portable oxygen systems] that don't stand out and don't drag them
down when they are out and about.”
Richard also emphasizes the importance of keeping products from
looking “medical,” particularly to increase
compliance.
“A number of people in the industry are looking outside
the traditional medical product lines and going to companies like
Sony or Bose that are making products that sit in a bedroom or that
people travel with, such as the Sony Walkmans, and trying to
replicate that same model somewhat with the medical devices that we
are manufacturing,” he says.
Pushing design to a higher level is imperative for the
respiratory industry, particularly when you consider the patient
profiles.
Because early diagnosis is occurring more frequently, patients
with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) who require
oxygen therapy are ambulatory and eager to enjoy life, says
Wilkinson.
“They are informed on what their treatment options are,
are Internet-savvy and see direct-to-patient advertising that helps
inform them of some of their alternatives,” he says.
“All of this adds up to respiratory patients demanding
smaller, lighter, longer-lasting portables, whether it's oxygen or
aerosol therapy portables.”
Wilkinson adds that battery life is an important factor as
well.
“A lot of the electronics trends we're seeing show that
people want cell phone batteries and laptop batteries that last
longer, and that holds true for the oxygen patient as well,”
he says. “They want a portable device that is going to last
longer so they don't have to worry about running out. It sets them
free; they don't have to be tied to any home base.”
According to Darryl Risinger, director of marketing for Inogen,
battery technology is another example of how the HME industry has
looked to others for new methods. By using lithium ion batteries,
respiratory patients can stay mobile on portable systems for two to
three hours.
“The computer industry has pushed battery technology
research with millions of dollars,” he says. “Now, we
are able to piggyback on top of all of that research, because the
same battery technology that applies to a computer can also apply
to your digital camera, your cell phone and even a portable oxygen
concentrator.”
CPAP devices used to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have
also evolved to offer patients comfortable treatment with a
non-medical appearance. Although users want smaller machines, it is
important to keep function as the first priority, says Richard.
“Size is important, but the major priority is [the device]
has to be quiet, it has to function to a fairly high level and it
has to provide the patient with good, solid therapy. At the same
time, we have to listen to consumers, and what they're asking for
is a smaller device,” he explains.
But smaller is not always better, particularly for people with
limited dexterity such as the elderly or those with arthritis.
“I think CPAP devices can get too small, and then it
becomes difficult to operate them — especially if the buttons
are too small to use and LCD or readouts are too small to
visualize,” Richard points out. “It's the same thing
that's happened with cell phones. Now, companies are starting to
realize they need to go back to more of a moderate size.”
“Going forward, you are going to see manufacturers like
[Invacare] and our competitors who are going to continue to try and
push the envelope and deliver more products that meet patient
‘wants’ than we have in the past,” says
Wilkinson. “Much of this is a patient ‘want,’ not
a ‘must.’ We are now seeing companies capitalize on
that ‘want,’ and the ones who can do that will be the
long-term winners.”
MOVING FORWARD WITH MATERIALS
An emphasis on design is a top priority for many manufacturers
of mobility equipment and aids to daily living. The same theory
applies: People do not want institutional-looking items in their
homes.
According to Harvey Diamond, president of Drive Medical, Port
Washington, N.Y., a move to less institutional-looking products is
a continuing trend. At the same time, he says there is the
additional benefit of making products stronger, lighter and more
durable.
“We're definitely seeing that trend in bath safety
products,” agrees Angela Mayfield, senior product manager for
Atlanta-based Graham-Field Health Products. “We have some new
products made entirely of blow-molded plastic that are very
lightweight, such as a portable shower bench and tub rails, that
are popular for customers who travel or are not at home
regularly.
“Tool-free assembly is another huge trend for these
products, and for products in other categories,” Mayfield
continues. “Not only consumers but also dealers want products
that don't have to be put together, because assembly can take a lot
of their time versus if the product is designed so that it can go
into a relatively compact box and then can just be popped into
place quickly.”
Whether manufacturers are moving away from steel and toward
aluminum to construct lighter and more durable walkers or looking
to improve the dynamics of power chairs, innovation is on the
upswing. Miller says Pride studies the auto industry's car designs
for ideas to give users products that look stylish.
“Aesthetically, these products are a reflection of the
user's personality, so we take into consideration new engineering
and new design processes,” he explains. “Our designers
in [research and development] are very focused and in tune with the
latest designs and incorporating the curves and the lines into
these products.”
Cy Corrigan, Pride's national sales manager for retail mobility,
says design plans are comprehensive. “We look at
maneuverability and portability and how the population is using the
product today,” he says. “Then, we incorporate the
advances seen in our industry and others into the design and into
the aesthetics of the products.”
Today's products are, more than ever before, consumer-driven,
says Tom Rolick, vice president of business development for
Lebanon, Tenn.-based Permobil. It's apparent from the nitty gritty
behind product technologies to the products' brand names.
Consider Permobil's The Street power chair. “Whenever we
name a product, we try to give it some personality,” Rolick
says. “‘The Street’ encourages individuals to get
out and do things. It seemed to fit.”
THE PRICE OF IMPROVEMENTS
Although new technology usually costs more, finding ways for
patients or caregivers to buy what they need — and only what
they need — could help reduce costs, Rolick explains.
In the past, if a patient required a complex seating
configuration, he had no choice but also to buy a
bells-and-whistles mobility base, even though he might have no need
for it. “Our development is all consumer-driven,”
Rolick says. “From that perspective, [we] integrate the
entire system so that there is no compromise in seating while
matching up the mobility needs.
“Our goal is to optimize seating and mobility,” he
continues. “Technology has allowed us to interchange those
components easily. That produces the best [patient] outcomes,
because economically it makes sense and functionally it makes
sense.”
“It is really a question of how the industry can take
advantage of technological developments seen in other industries
and apply that to both improve the quality of care and the standard
of care, while at the same time, hopefully, improving profitability
for the providers,” concludes Deane.
Onstage at Medtrade
This time of year, it is always exciting to see what home
medical equipment manufacturers have been working on, since many
companies introduce their new products at the Medtrade fall show.
The following are only a few of the latest consumer-friendly
designs that show attendees will see.
Drive Medical will showcase its newly designed bath chair that
will feature a teak wood seat — a departure from the norm,
according to President Harvey Diamond. Among the other 50 new
products Drive will offer at the show are its Clever-Lite walker,
with a two-in-one wheel design that can be changed from a fixed to
a swivel design, and several respiratory products.
Graham-Field has added the John Bunn Nebulite LT to its line,
which Angela Mayfield, senior product manager, describes as
“smaller, lighter and quieter.” The trend toward
portability in respiratory products, particularly with nebulizers,
she says, “has a lot to do with working moms and kids in
daycare, and also caregivers who have to transport children or
other patients.”
The company will also launch a new Lumex patient transfer device
at Medtrade that is “innovative and unique, and extremely
portable compared to most traditional or smaller lifts,” says
Mayfield.
Inogen will demonstrate the Inogen One, its lightweight,
portable oxygen concentrator that will be available in the United
States beginning Oct. 1. Designed to perform as both a stationary
and a portable device, Inogen says the system is engineered to meet
the changing demands of the oxygen industry. For patients, the
device presents an opportunity for a more active life both at home
and on the road.
Invacare will offer a smaller model of its Venture HomeFill II
home oxygen system, called the ML4. The weight of the current model
is about 4.3 pounds in the bag, but this version weighs just over
3.5 pounds, according to Scott Wilkinson, the company's group
product manager of respiratory. Wilkinson says Medtrade attendees
will also see a preview of Invacare's redesigned aerosol therapy
product line.
The company will debut a micro, portable version of its Zoom
HMV. The model 220 highly maneuverable vehicle has a direct-connect
battery pack and a take-apart design that makes it easy to stow in
a car trunk.
Available in candy red and deep blue colors, Invacare's new At'm
Take Along power wheelchair (for customers who want to “get
up and at'm”) is lightweight and compact enough to transfer
in and out of a vehicle with no lift. The chair can be disassembled
— or put together — with no tools. Consumers can open
the seat, snap it on the base and add the battery.
Permobil will be showing a full range of new seating and
mobility products, including The Street power chair and the new
Co-Pilot control, a pressure-activated handlebar that attaches to
the back of a power chair. According to Tom Rolick, vice president
of business development, caregivers often try to drive a power
chair by walking beside it — awkwardly — and using the
chair's joystick. The Co-Pilot allows caregivers to drive from
behind. The controller predicts what direction the caregiver wants
to go using pressure sensors on the handlebar itself.
Pride Mobility Products will launch the Jazzy 1107 — a
highly maneuverable power chair that disassembles — and the
Go-Go Travel Lift, a trunk-installed lift designed to lift
130-pound weight-capacity products. The company also will release
products at the show that incorporate “brand new technology
that is just going to be very impressive,” according to Mark
Miller, vice president of marketing.
ResMed will present the Swift nasal pillow interface,
“which is a whole new approach to getting a good fit while
still being very non-intrusive,” says Ron Richard, vice
president of marketing for the Americas.
“Sunrise Medical will be unveiling several new products
and technologies that will range from a revolutionary lightweight
wheelchair that will set the standard in terms of adjustability and
weight to a sneak preview of a key partnership that will enable
advances in power wheelchairs,” according to Pieter
Leenhouts, vice president of marketing.
