The doctor – engineer collaboration more important than ever

This interdisciplinary collaboration is the credo of Medical Delta. Now that we can welcome a group of teachers for the third time inaugurate, we are proud that the collaboration between doctor and engineer is rapidly becoming commonplace. Because where interdisciplinary collaboration was still special when Medical Delta was created, today it is a sine qua non for offering scientific and technological solutions that make health care healthy.

Health is sick …

And it is really necessary. The sustainability of the health system is under pressure, concluded the Scientific Council for Government Policy in a press release recently published report. The Dutch are increasingly using increasingly expensive healthcare. If this continues, it will cost citizens almost three times as much in 40 years as it does today – and therefore cannot be afforded. And then one in three people will have to work in the health sector, compared to one in seven today – it does not seem feasible. The feasibility of healthcare is already under pressure due to understaffing, DSW director Aad de Groot said this month at the announcement of the first health premium.

The importance of collaboration between doctor and engineer, but also between scientist / researcher and (health) practice is therefore more relevant than ever in order to be able to effectively improve health. Technology plays a crucial role in making, changing and improving our healthcare system more sustainable – provided it is used correctly.

Dare, commitment and courage

Whether it is possible to improve health care with the support of technology depends on the people who have to do it. It takes courage to go beyond the limits of your own scientific discipline, and it takes commitment to be able to understand someone with a completely different scientific background. It also takes courage to start from the question behind the question and the need of the patient or the health professional as a starting point for his research and to involve the practice of health very early in the process of developing innovations. in health. Unfortunately, not everyone is there yet.

At the same time, it seems to me that it has almost become obvious to the younger generation of researchers. Collaboration between health sciences and technological sciences is now institutionalized, for example in common courses such as Clinical Technology. But I also see on an individual level, especially among young scientists, that they themselves seek to connect with other disciplines – as if this had always been the case.

From prototype to practice

It does not stop only with science: bringing science to the practice of health care, translating discoveries into innovations and proposing new medical methods based on new technological possibilities: as a doctor and a scientist, I see this happen around me every day. By involving medical scientists, physicians, healthcare professionals and patients in technological developments at an early stage of research, the societal impact of scientific research at the interface of technology and health increases.

Health care needs are changing and technological possibilities are constantly evolving. So we will always need pioneers. People who dare to forge new paths and see opportunities for collaboration that were not previously available. With and for the next generation of scientists. The professors of Medical Delta are therefore more important than ever and still essential for the moment.

The official inauguration of nine Medical Delta professors will take place on Tuesday, November 2. This festive meeting during the Medical Delta Conference can be done both physically and online. You can register via Medical Delta Conference 2021 – Theme: “MedTech Solutions for a Healthier Future” | Delta Medical