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Nonwovens/​Converting

Managing change in healthcare

The rich three-day INDEX17 programme features a Medical & Healthcare seminar on 5 April.

17th March 2017

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Geneva

Medical/Hygiene

An aging population is a critical issue facing the medical and healthcare industry. An aging population is a critical issue facing the medical and healthcare industry. The European Wound Management Association (EWMA) maintains that persons aged 65 and over will account for 30% of the EU27’s population by 2060, compared to 17% in 2008, and that the highest share of inhabitants aged over 80 years in 2060, will be in Italy (14.9%), Spain (14.5%) and Germany (13.2%), closely followed by Greece (13.5 %). There has been an exponential growth in healthcare costs mainly driven by the increased cost of medication and devices, and in tandem, a rise in the prevalence of chronic conditions. These trends have resulted in significant changes in European hospital services, with the number of hospital facilities, as well as the number of hospital beds decreasing. Furthermore, increasing pressures for early discharge from hospitals have caused a shift in the delivery of services from the hospital to the home, especially in the field of wound management.

Visitors and exhibitors at INDEX™17, the world’s leading nonwovens exhibition held in Geneva from 4th-7th April 2017, will have the opportunity to hear from “Big Picture” speaker Prof. Dr. Sebastien Probst, Professor of Tissue Viability and Wound Care at the School of Health Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland. “Chronic and highly-exuding wounds can often lead to the use of unreliable and costly treatments,” explains Prof. Dr. Probst. “Patients are frequently found to be at an increased risk of infection and delayed healing, which results in an enormous negative impact on their quality of life, both physically and psychologically. Superabsorbent nonwoven dressings are increasingly being used for a more effective wound care, removing bacteria and exudates and keeping the wound bed moist. Reducing healthcare costs while maintaining high quality of care remains paramount.” Another less visible but important benefit is that these products can contribute to reducing health associated infections (HAI) which still affect 1 out of 18 patients every day in Europe.

The rich three-day INDEX™17 programme features a Medical & Healthcare seminar on 5th April organised in conjunction with market intelligence partners WTiN, where leading speaker Prof. Dr. Sebastien Probst will put forward the key challenges faced by the medical industry, and renowned experts in the field will then discuss how nonwovens are contributing to solving these challenges.

Medical & Healthcare seminar speakers include:

  • Dr Parikshit Goswami, Associate Professor, Director of Research and Innovation, MSc Textiles Programme Leader, Technology Research Area Leader, will deliver a welcome note.
  • Prof Dr Sebastian Probst, DClinPrac, RN, Professor of Tissue Viability and Wound Care, School of Health Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Geneva, will address global trends in nonwoven medical textiles.
  • Dionysia Patrinou, Intelligence Manager/Market Strategist, Advanced Medical Materials, World Textile Information Network (WTiN), will discuss opportunities in the medical market.
  • Paul Greenhalgh, Director of Industrial Design, Team Consulting, will speak about a patient centric approach to medical technology development.
  • Dr Bernd Schlesselmann, Head of R&D, Freudenberg Performance Materials, will discuss the future of nonwovens in advanced wound care.

Visitors from around the world will have the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of the latest developments in nonwovens for medical applications.

INDEX 17

At INDEX™17, taking place from 4-7 April 2017 at Palexpo in Geneva, four dynamic nonwovens industry applications will be highlighted. Accompanied by high-level keynote speakers, free conferences and tutorials, the Transportation, Medical, Geotextiles and Filtration segments have been singled out for special focus.

In addition, for the first time, the well-renowned FILTREX conference will take place in parallel with INDEX™, on 5 and 6 April.

Article republished with the kind permission of INDEX 17.

www.index17.org

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