How Smart HMIs make the Medical Industry more Sustainable

Reducing waste, and increasing efficiency, has always been a core issue for the medical industry. A quicker, more accurate service provides patients with the best care and means clinicians are more effective in doing their most important work.

In recent years, environmental sustainability has also become a key factor in industries across the globe. Healthcare providers are considering how they can best meet the needs of their patients whilst meeting their sustainability objectives.

Here at In2tec, our mission is to provide efficiency and sustainability to customers without compromising on either. We’ve always championed the use of flexible electronics and Smart HMIs in the medical industry to give patients and clinicians the best experience during diagnosis, treatment and aftercare. But how can smart HMIs from In2tec help, and how do we make sure we’re providing sustainable solutions?

How Smart HMIs are used in the medical industry

Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) are everywhere. Devices that allow us to interact with and control machines – touch-screen phones, computer keyboards, and remote controls are all commonplace HMIs. Smart HMIs differ in their more advanced features, providing greater accessibility and intuitiveness for specific functions across industries.

By pushing the boundaries of innovation and design, smart HMIs can benefit the medical industry:

·       Smart HMIs accurately monitor data

One of the most common ways that smart HMIs are used in the healthcare sector is to monitor patient and inventory data. Medical wearables which accurately monitor patients in real-time are becoming increasingly common – for example, smart HMIs can be configured to monitor the heart rate and blood pressure of a patient in a more accurate and accessible way than traditional solutions. That means that clinicians can respond to a patient’s needs as and when it is needed, without delays.

·       Smart HMIs provide remote access

Further to their ability to monitor data, smart HMIs allow clinicians to monitor and access data remotely, as well as over time. They can be configured to interact with medical devices, allowing a healthcare provider to control medical devices like ventilators without having to be in the same room as the patient. Thus, patients vulnerable to infection, or with highly infectious diseases, can be quarantined without a major disruption to their treatment.

·       Smart HMIs contribute to sustainability

We can see that by using smart HMIs, the medical industry can provide better, more accurate, and more efficient healthcare. However, each of these benefits can also help reduce the need to travel to treat a patient, or a patient to travel to a medical facility, lowering travel-based carbon emissions. As an alternative to being treated in a healthcare facility, smart HMIs can be configured to interact remotely so including at-home medical devices, facilitate real-time video conferencing to monitor patients visually, as well as enabling patients to monitor their healthcare conditions. Many of the capabilities that, with traditional electronics, would only be available on-site in a healthcare facility can be provided remotely with smart HMIs. Smart HMIs can save time for medical practitioners and patients alike, allow continuous monitoring, as well as offer alternative, convenient care for vulnerable patients.

A transition away from paper medical records also indirectly reduces reliance on the pulp and paper industry. According to the International Energy Agency, pulp and paper contributed 190 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2021, a historic high which only proves the need to look for alternative solutions and reduce paper usage. By using smart HMI devices, accessing records and documentation becomes quicker, more intuitive, and offers opportunity to reduce paper consumption.

How Smart HMIs from In2tec go the extra mile

In2tec uses patented technology with innovative production methods which makes us the leading choice for smart HMIs that excel in both performance and sustainability. Our flexible electronics outperform traditional, rigid electronics in terms of form, with ours achieving contours to suit your design needs while making sure the utilisation of real estate space and device size are optimised.

Traditional PCBs can be cumbersome to incorporate into assemblies and often limit design possibilities because of their rigid nature. By using flexible circuits, we can help you to develop a device that meets your expectations and design needs. Lightweight and easy to transport, we can give healthcare providers portable and easy-to-use devices that facilitate everything needed to provide responsive and accurate treatment every time.

Incorporating Sustainability into everything we do

With our sustainable electronics ethos at the heart of everything we do, we bring sustainability to the forefront of every project we work on. We developed patented technology and processes to achieve high recyclability and reusability. Our ReUSE® and ReCYCLE™ solutions allow for circuit board assemblies to be unzipped at the end of their useful life. This unique ‘unzipping’ technique means components can be extracted easily, cleanly, and unstressed from used PCBs, then returned into the supply chain for a second-life, driving a circular economy of used parts, and allowing for PCBs to have up to 100% recyclability. With the use of highly recyclable substrates, such as aluminium or nano-cellulose, we can realise the first 100% recyclable printed circuit board assemblies, an absolute competitive advantage.

In2tec works across industries, including medical device manufacturers and healthcare providers, taking the needs of every customer into account to create cost-efficient solutions.

Interested in learning more about our Smart HMI solutions?

Let us help you achieve your technology wish list. We invite you to put our capabilities, innovation, and experience to the test to benefit you.

Call us today:

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