Centre for Innovative Medical Technologies, CIMT

I have previously written a post about benefit management of IT projects in the health sector. One area that traditionally have not had the great attention when large and small IT projects ended and went into operation in the hospitals I've worked on. From an economic point of view, among other things, this is not appropriate because the business case that was the basis for the project will never be realized, and thus it is unclear whether the project actually creates the benefit or the value that you expect.

In addition you misses the learning of the work done with the business cases as estimates and project plans are never evaluated and assessed by practice. 

They are, in other words, theoretical goals that never gets a working life or a  conclusion.

Benefit management does not happen because, as described above, occurs because you do not evaluate, assess or analysis the of projects. Therefore there will be no evidence of a technology in a particular area or speciality, at a particular group of patients with a particular skill group (s), etc. ., Does the technology create the value, change or effect that you anticipate? You just don’t know…

Here I am not talking about the IT-related effect. No it is the clinical effect that is interesting in this context.  What does the technology to patient care, quality, organization, management, waiting time, patient satisfaction, processes, treatments? and so on. To put it bluntly, we just don’t know.

In a health care system that so much is evidence-based, and where research goes hand in hand with the daily clinic, it's scary that there is so little research and evaluation of the technologies we are introducing.

That brings me to my real point. I have very peripherally involved myself in the work on the establishment of a Centre for innovative medical technologies(CIMT). This centre will focus research on the impact innovative technologies have on the clinical area.

The centre is a virtual construction between University Hospital and University of Southern Denmark. As The ministry of science, Innovation and higher education write on the Department's website:

Today there are only a limited scientific evidence of efficacy and effectiveness of innovative medical technologies. This fact is also recognized by the European Commission as one of the possible explanations for the lack of market penetration and large-scale implementation of telemedicine solutions. This led in 2009 to the start of work on the establishment of a European evaluation model and the subsequent establishment of large scale documentation projects.

University Hospital has been a key player in this work and want to promote the development, testing and implementation of innovative medical technologies, and the evidence of the effects and consequences of these.

And CIMT writes: Center for Innovative Medical Technology - also known as CIMT - is a new research and innovation center for Odense University Hospital (University Hospital) and University of Southern Denmark (SDU). founding of CIMT formalize the existing cooperation between the two institutions and creates the basis for stronger collaboration through a strong common research focusing on the use of medical technology. CIMT should also ensure increased visibility of research and innovation efforts in Southern Denmark in Denmark and internationally.

I welcome this initiative. It is time to take digital solutions, innovative technologies, IT and welfare  technologies into the evidence-based course. It is never too late and there will be room to make a difference, perhaps even worldwide.