Sean Loughlin: Ebola and the Future of Medical Device Interoperability

What does a deadly virus outbreak in West Africa have to do with the future of medical devices? More than you might think.

An article in The Boston Globe describes an effort at Massachusetts General Hospital to improve remote technology and medical device interoperability. The outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus galvanized various stakeholders to join forces to figure out how healthcare workers could better protect themselves through the use of remote technology that would allow them to monitor and treat Ebola patients from a distance.

AAMI President Mary Logan is quoted in the article, making an interesting comparison to how electronic banking has evolved.

How do you see the evolution of interoperability and remote technology unfolding?

Sean Loughlin is senior director of communications at AAMI.