Brought to you by Tamara Hoveling from TU Delft 

In today’s digital age, healthcare is swiftly adopting digital solutions, from electronic health records to telemedicine consultations. Even everyday medical devices like thermometers and blood pressure monitors have gone digital. As we push forward, let’s take a moment to reflect: are we balancing sustainability and practicality with our drive for innovation? Perhaps not. 

Refuse is the prioritised sustainability strategy presented in the 10R framework. Yet, we often find ourselves trying to reuse, remanufacture or recycle powered medical devices that perhaps did not even need contain any electronics in the first place.  

Automation brings huge opportunities for healthcare 

The healthcare system faces many challenges, including a lack of preventive care, data overload, and global understaffing. In 2022, Elsevier reported that 42% of European healthcare workers considered leaving their jobs within two to three years. Fortunately, integrating technological innovations could help tackle these issues. For instance, attaching basic OLED strips to an ultrasound transducer could make it easier to puncture difficult-to-reach blood vessels, robotics might reduce morbidity and increase cost effectiveness in gynaecological surgery, and implementing digital services could help lessening the massive workload. 

So yes, while health-tech innovation can indeed be a springboard for future generations, is it possible that we are pushing it too far? Do you really need a smart water bottle to track hydration levels and fitness tracker for your dog? While some innovations offer genuine benefits, we must be wary of excessive digitalisation, also in hospital settings. Do we truly need high-tech solutions for every aspect of patient care, or are simpler, more traditional approaches remain just as effective albeit less convenient? Striking a balance between technological advancement coupled with convenience and practical necessity is crucial as we navigate this digital transformation. 

Digitalisation often causes more impacts than it saves  

Even though health-tech innovation may not always lead to significant improvements in healthcare outcomes—such as expensive medical treatments that provide only limited increase in patient outcomes—it often carries financial incentives. 

However, we must also consider the impact of electronic innovations on our planet. For example, while electronics have been added to blood pressure monitors, they may not always provide the desired accuracy, yet contribute to global e-waste and increased energy usage. Similarly, while digital stethoscopes offer features like sound amplification and recording capabilities, some may argue that these additional features do not always justify the environmental cost of producing and disposing of electronic components. 

Fixing system failures: technology is not always the solution

While technology is often seen as the go-to solution for many problems, it is not always the best approach. Take the labelling of medicine kits used in clinical trials. When data changes, such as an updated expiration date, relabelling is required by law, but this process is complex and often burdensome. As a result, many kits with outdated labels are disposed of—including the medicine they contain, and which has the highest environmental impact of all the clinical kit components. Electronic labels could offer a potential solution, as digital labels could efficiently streamline the relabelling process by enabling relabelling without physical touch. This would minimize the environmental impact compared to disposing of all the kits.

However, adding electronic waste to solve the medicinal waste problem should only be a temporary fix. A more long-term solution would be to revise regulations to allow for digital updates in a system, enabling changes to be scanned and tracked without the need for visible information on the label itself. This would eliminate the need to embed electronics like screens, PCBs, and batteries in every label, offering a more efficient and sustainable alternative. 

Circularity-enabling technology 

The question begs itself, should we look at med-tech innovation from a different angle? Instead of just focussing on new gadgets, we should prioritise designs that can be easily taken apart, fixed, and recycled. This point of view may also involve interesting electronic advancements. Using advanced tracking systems like RFID (radio frequency identification) can help us make sure materials are reused and recycled properly, reducing waste. Smart packaging, resource optimisation software, and sustainable materials can also help lower the environmental impact, making the healthcare system more sustainable and efficient. 

Role of DiCE

 The DiCE project plays a critical role in supporting this shift. While sustainability remains a key focus, we also rigorously evaluate the tangible benefits of digitalization. Designing digital health devices isn’t just about embracing every new electronic advancement and making it circular—it’s about critically assessing the real added value of these electronics before producing and reusing them. To make this approach practical, the DiCE project will provide concrete recommendations, empowering people to apply these principles in practice rather than navigating these challenges on their own.