Japanese players slow to see that data drives latest equipment trend

 15-Dec-15, Nikkei Asian Review 

Major Western medical equipment makers have recently been focusing more on developing products that make better use of data, rather than trying to pack their hardware with more advanced features. The shift comes in response to growing interest among medical institutions in finding better ways to gather and use information to diagnose and treat patients.

Image: Nikkei Asian Review

The importance of using data more effectively was emphasized by many experts who attended a recent medical equipment exhibition in Chicago organized by the Radiological Society of North America.

At the Chicago exhibition, GE proposed a network-based system for this kind of information-sharing across multiple settings. Siemens of Germany also devoted a big chunk of its exhibition space to the use of data.

Japanese players, meanwhile, generally used the event to showcase traditional technology. The booth of one Japanese manufacturer showed off how little radiation its computed tomography system exposed users to. Improving the functions of existing hardware is still important, but finding ways to use data more effectively is clearly assuming growing importance in the industry. Japanese makers appear less interested than their Western counterparts in following this trend.

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