The Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) program has recently issued a call for entries in its third annual competition. The purpose of the program is to recognize the critical roles that design and engineering play in the effectiveness, safety, end-user benefits, and commercial success of medical products.

The competition is sponsored by Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry, a sister publication of IVD Technology, with the support of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (Santa Monica, CA). The program is administrated by Canon Communications llc, publisher of IVD Technology.

Seven diagnostic products won awards in last year's competition, including a gold award presented for the Hematype Segment device by Medical Safety Products Inc. (Englewood, CO). Jurors in last year's program showed a preference for easy-to-use products that provide accurate results very rapidly. The winning devices share similar characteristics—they are fast, safe, easy-to-use, and accurate. Point-of-care tests were also popular with the awards jury. Some of last year's winners were noninvasive devices, including the Laser-Assisted Ratio Analyzer by Alimenterics Inc. (Morris Plains, NJ), which uses a patient's breath to detect H. pylori, and the Bilicheck bilirubin analyzer by SpectRx (Norcross, GA).

Hematype Segment device by Medical Safety Products Inc. (Englewood, CO). Photo courtesy of MSPI.

 

Manufacturers may submit their entries for the 2000 program in one of the following 10 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 (biochemicals for diagnostic use, related instrumentation, and home-use devices).
• Over-the-counter self-care products.
• Radiological and electromechanical devices (diagnostic imaging devices, energy-emitting therapy devices).
• Rehabilitation and assistive-technology products (healthcare furnishings, patient-transfer equipment, and home-use medical equipment and supplies).
• Surgical equipment, instruments, and supplies.

Entries may be submitted by manufacturers or by their authorized public relations or design firms. Similarly, a supplier of medical-grade materials and components used in the design of a finished product may submit an application with the manufacturer's written approval.

Laser-Assisted Ratio Analyzer by Alimenterics Inc. (Morris Plains, NJ). Photo courtesy of Alimenterics Inc.

 

Entries will be judged by a panel of experts representing medicine, ergonomics and human factors, industrial design, manufacturing, and related disciplines. Winners will be announced in March 2000 and celebrated at the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East 2000 Exposition, June 6—8, in New York City. More than 500 members of the media will be invited to this event, which attracts more than 10,000 supplier and manufacturer representatives.

Bilicheck bilirubin analyzer by SpectRx (Norcross, GA). Photo courtesy of Spectrx Inc.

 

The deadline for MDEA entries is December 20, 1999. To receive an entry form, contact the program coordinator by phone at 310/996-9434 or via e-mail at mdea@cancom.com.