007 MDEA Final Deadline Approaching

The final deadline for entries in the 2007 Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) program is January 19, 2007. Now entering its 10th year, the MDEA competition is the premier awards program for the medical technology community. The competition is open worldwide to companies and individuals involved in the design, engineering, manufacture, or distribution of finished medical devices or medical packaging.

The program recognizes the achievements of medical product manufacturers and the many people behind the scenes—engineers, scientists, designers, and clinicians—who are responsible for the groundbreaking innovations that are changing the face of healthcare. Industry professionals are encouraged to become involved in building recognition for medical product excellence, both in their own companies and industrywide. Awards are offered in each 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 and 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.

Judging of the entries is conducted by an impartial panel of jurors who carefully review each product submission. Over the three-day judging period, teams of jurors evaluate all of the year's entries and narrow them down to a select group of exceptional products in each of the categories. When reviewing the products, the jurors consider all of the following criteria.

• Innovative use of materials, components, or processes in the fabrication of the product.

• The ability of the product development team to overcome design and engineering challenges so that the product meets its clinical objectives.

• User-related design and engineering features that improve healthcare delivery, with special attention to functional innovations that broaden the scope of users, change traditional medical attitudes or practices, or offer significant use-related improvements.

• Design and engineering features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient (e.g., comfort, fit, service access, safety, appropriate aesthetics, overall improvement of healthcare).

• Aspects of product design and engineering that improve the manufacturer's profitability.

• Product features that improve the overall delivery of healthcare.

The Medical Design Excellence Awards competition accepts the endorsement of professional and industry organizations whose members are involved in the design and development of medical technologies. Endorsing organizations supply expertise that assists in the development of the competition. Members of endorsing organizations may also serve on the independent multidisciplinary panel of jurors selected to judge each year's entries. Endorsing organizations of the 2007 MDEA program include the ACCE Healthcare Technology Foundation, AdvaMed, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Medical Device Manufacturers Association, and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance.

To be eligible for the 2007 competition, products must be commercially available by December 31, 2006. For additional details, including a downloadable entry form, entrants should visit the MDEA Web site at www.MDEAwards.com.

© 2006 Canon Communications LLC

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