Medical devices are normally associated with use by hospitals and medical practices. Some devices are used by normal consumers and, according to an article on the Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry website (www.mddionline.com), are proliferating.
The market for devices such as insulin pumps and blood pressure monitors has become more consumer-driven and is putting pressure on manufacturers to design better products and get them to the market faster. According to the article, ‘patients want their medical devices to have the same kind of design and appeals as iPods’. This convergence of medical and mass consumer electronics is creating many challenges for medical device manufacturers.
These challenges include widely divergent product life cycles, varying scenarios of use and safety, and efficacy concerns. The typical life cycle of a consumer device is likely to be measured more in months than years. Compare this to the long approval cycles of drug and medical device regulatory authorities – which, according to the article, can be anything from 27 to 36 months in the USA depending on the type of medical device.
During this timeframe, an iPod/iPad has probably gone through at least two generations, and smart devices are now the norm. It may be that medical devices will never get as savvy as a consumer iPad due to regulatory concerns and device efficacy.
However, increasing consumer-driven requirements are likely to shorten the product life cycle over coming years as devices move further towards personal smart devices. As of April 2016, for example, a Financial Times article notes there are more than 165 000 health and fitness apps available at the Apple App Store. While Apple’s devices are not medical devices they do pose a competitive threat.
Questions: 

1. Do you think the costs of the electronic components in a smart device such as an iPod/iPad are more or less than those in a medical device like a blood pressure monitor?
2 Would decreasing the product life cycle of medical devices, or medical devices being more like consumer electronics, pose any risks for manufacturers?