Unmet needs: relevance to medical technology innovation?

Abstract

This paper describes and discusses the role of unmet needs in the innovation of new medical technologies using the National Institute for Health Research Devices for Dignity (D4D) Healthcare Technology Co-operative as a case study. It defines an unmet need, providing a spectrum of classification and discusses the benefits and the challenges of identifying unmet need and its influence on the innovation process. The process by which D4D has captured and utilized unmet needs to drive technology innovation is discussed and examples given. It concludes by arguing that, despite the challenges, defining and reviewing unmet need is a fundamental factor in the success of medical technology innovation.

• Innovation
• medical technology
• unmet needs
• user requirements

Declaration of interest

The work was funded through the NIHR Devices for Dignity Healthcare Technology Co-operative at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.