Medical Market Research Articles

Constructing the Infant Body: The Intervention of the Educated, Male Physician in Eighteenth-Century Infant Diet

Drawing on medical advice literature, this paper examines the cultural history of the body in infancy in eighteenth-century England. This period saw the increasing professionalization of the medical field, particularly regarding children’s health, as an emerging profession of educated, male physicians sought to establish their exclusive authority on the medical market. As England’s medical market of the time was largely unregulated, these educated physicians competed with apothecaries, midwives, and female nurses for paying customers. Physicians argued that the disorderly, undisciplined nature of the infant body was incongruent with Enlightenment virtues, and therefore required a greater degree of medical management. Emerging out of this discourse were popular advice books which emphasized preventative measures in already-healthy infant patients. They were authored by a growing profession of educated, medical experts and were addressed to a lay audience of parents and child caretakers. This paper examines three immensely popular pamphlets authored by three physicians, Thomas Beddoes, George Armstrong, and William Cadogan. All three emphasized in their tracts the importance of maternal breastfeeding to the infant diet, citing Enlightenment ideals, humoral theory, and even the supernatural elements of breastmilk to support this claim. To bring the child body firmly under the control of the medical establishment, they argued that uneducated, lay practitioners, who were overwhelmingly female, received no formal education in the sciences and thus possessed little understanding of the nuances and complexities specific to the infant body. Parents were also incapable and deficient, at least to some degree, in the formal knowledge necessary to prevent illness in their infant children, and thus should rely on the physician’s expertise regarding the care of the infant body.

A Review on Polymers for Biomedical Applications on Hard and Soft Tissues and Prosthetic Limbs.

In the past decades, there has been a significant increase in the use of polymers for biomedical applications. The global medical polymer market size was valued at USD 19.92 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.0% from 2023 to 2030 despite some limitations, such as cost (financial limitation), strength compared to metal plates for bone fracture, design optimization and incorporation of reinforcement. Recently, this increase has been more pronounced due to important advances in synthesis and modification techniques for the design of novel biomaterials and their behavior in vitro and in vivo. Also, modern medicine allows the use of less invasive surgeries and faster surgical sutures. Besides their use in the human body, polymer biomedical materials must have desired physical, chemical, biological, biomechanical, and degradation properties. This review summarizes the use of polymers for biomedical applications, mainly focusing on hard and soft tissues, prosthetic limbs, dental applications, and bone fracture repair. The main properties, gaps, and trends are discussed.

TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL TOURISM IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN (ON THE EXAMPLE OF ZHAMBYL REGION)

All trips that people make to another place to use health services are described as medical tourism. Today, the demand for medical tourism is high. According to the World Tourism Organization for 2020, in 2019, the number of people participating in tourism activities reached 1.5 billion. 27 percent of these trips are related to family-oriented tourism, religious tourism and medical tourism. Medical tourism, which is estimated at more than $ 500 billion worldwide, is spread all over the world, has the highest growth and development rates and is a tourism sector that is in the center of attention and attractiveness of all countries. From this point of view, it can be seen that the medical tourism market is expanding day by day and is becoming an important sector that attracts the interest of investors and guides the global economy. One of such modern international tourism in various developed countries of the world. The article examines the issues of the state and prospects of development of medical tourism at the world level, including in Kazakhstan, in particular in the Zhambyl region, examines the contribution to the economy of the region, as well as the ways of its development.

Варианты сотрудничества и особенности работы с китайскими поставщиками.

The global political and economic situation in recent years has had a significant impact on many areas of life, including healthcare. The sanctions imposed against Russia have become a real challenge for the participants of the medical equipment market, causing a number of problems that both manufacturers and consumers of this equipment have to overcome. In this article, we will look at exactly how the sanctions affected the market of medical devices, and what prospects are opening up for the Russian medical industry in the field of import substitution. Look at the China from the point of view of a supplier of medical equipment under sanctions. We will describe the main ways of cooperation with chinese suppliers: from finding a specific solution in China to localization of production in Russia. Let's highlight the subtleties that exist when working with manufacturers from China. In order for the topic to be fully disclosed, here is a list of the largest manufacturers of medical equipment and gadgets for the medical industry. According to the author, in the conditions of a shortage of Western equipment and restrictions in the maintenance of existing equipment, it is necessary to pay attention to the east. China as a global manufacturer of materials, components and finished products can help replace some of the equipment, and eventually completely displace Western technology.

Medical marketing in healthcare institutions with public-private partnership mechanisms

The aim – to reveal the essence of medical marketing in healthcare institutions (HCI) with principles of public-private partnership (PPP). The study used general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, generalization, interpretation of scientific data, as well as systemic and structural-functional approaches. The article reveals the essence, principles and functions of medical marketing in HCI with the mechanisms of PPP. The substantiation of the main marketing tools is given – business processes and integration processes that contribute to effective marketing in HCI. It also identified the key points that form the structure of medical business processes. The process approach to business process management is disclosed, which allows getting benefits for HCI. The definition and significance of the medical processes integration in HCI on PPP principles is provided, which contributes to the coordination of marketing activities with the strategy development within each integrated complex of HCI and the possibility of obtaining a positive synergistic effect. Examples of internal and external integration are given. The system for managing the external integration process is shown. To stimulate the integration process, bundled payment method has been defined.Conclusions. The article provides justification for medical marketing in HCI with the principles of PPP, focused on business processes and the integration of medical services, which ensures economic, medical and social efficiency and optimal functioning of HCI in market conditions.

On government regulation of the market of medical devices

Subject. This article discusses the expansion of the range of medical devices manufactured in Russia and import substitution in the healthcare sector. Objectives. The article aims to determine the subjects and objects of the market of medical devices and analyze the regulatory legal acts governing the circulation of medical devices in Russia. Methods. For the study, we used statistical and content analyses. Results. The article finds that the concepts of medical market, market of medical services, and market of medical devices are not clearly defined in Russian legislation, and many State and interstate standards for medical devices need to be updated. Conclusions. It is necessary to draft and adopt a Federal law On the Production and Circulation of Medical Devices in the Russian Federation, which, in particular, will regulate the issues of import substitution in the healthcare sector.

Medical cannabis laws lower individual market health insurance premiums.

To evaluate the impact of medical cannabis laws (MCLs) on health insurance premiums. We study whether cannabis legalization significantly impacts aggregate health insurer premiums in the individual market. Increases in utilization could have spillover effects to patients in the form of higher health insurance premiums. We use 2010-2021 state-level U.S. private health insurer financial data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. We examined changes to individual market health insurance premiums after the implementation of medical cannabis laws. We employed a robust difference-in-differences estimator that accounted for variation in policy timing to exploit temporal and geographic variation in state-level medical cannabis legalization. Seven years after the implementation of Medical Cannabis laws, we observe lower health insurer premiums in the individual market. Starting seven years post-MCL implementation, we find a reduction of $-1662.7 (95% confidence interval [CI -2650.1, -605.7]) for states which implemented MCLs compared to the control group, a reduction of -$1541.8 (95% confidence interval [CI 2602.1, -481.4]) in year 8, and a reduction of $-1625.8, (95% confidence interval [CI -2694.2, -557.5]) in year 9. Due to the nature of insurance pooling and community rating, these savings are appreciated by cannabis users and non-users alike in states that have implemented MCLs. The implementation of MCLs lowers individual-market health insurance premiums. Health insurance spending, including premiums, comprises between 16% and 34% of household budgets in the United States. As healthcare costs continue to rise, our findings suggest that households that obtain their health insurance on the individual (i.e., not employer sponsored) market in states with MCLs appreciate significantly lower premiums.

Competition on the medical robotics markets for elderly

Population aging becomes one of the most significant 21<sup>st </sup>century social challenges. These challenges strongly reflect on the industry, labor, and financial markets. Population aging increases the demand for medicines, diagnostic equipment, and medical services. Both developed and developing countries have problems resulting from the current shortage of health workers and a limited supply of medical equipment. An alternative for medical staff growth is the robotization of medical services. However, robotics is economically justified when the costs of medical robots are lower than the construction of additional medical clinics and the increase in medical staff. Medical robotics appeared on the market later than the industrial and military ones but has recently found increasing use in high-income countries. Low and middle-income countries could not acquire expensive medical robots in sufficient quantities. The increased competition in the medical robotics market will lead to price reductions and make robotized services available for wide use. The article analyses the competition in segments of the medical robotics markets, connected with population aging.

Laboratory evaluation for the differential diagnosis of possible multiple sclerosis in the United States: A physician survey

BackgroundThere is limited evidence and lack of guidelines for diagnostic laboratory evaluation of patients with possible multiple sclerosis (MS). ObjectiveTo survey neurologists on their practice of laboratory testing in patients with possible MS. MethodsAn online survey was developed to query the frequency of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) studies ordered in the routine evaluation of patients with possible MS, and in three hypothetical clinical cases. Non-MS specialist neurologists who evaluate patients for MS in their practice were invited to participate by MedSurvey (a medical market research company). ResultsThe survey was completed by 190 neurologists. A mean of 17.2 (SD: 17.0) tests in serum and CSF were reported “always” ordered in the evaluation of patients with possible MS. CSF oligoclonal bands was the most frequently selected (“always” among 73.7% of participants). Antinuclear antibody (43.2%), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (34.2%), and thyroid stimulating hormone (31.6%) were also among the most frequently ordered. DiscussionExtensive laboratory evaluations are often completed in the evaluation of possible MS. However, many of these tests have poor specificity and false positive results could yield unnecessary increased costs, diagnostic delay, and potentially misdiagnosis. Further research is needed to identify optimal laboratory approaches for possible MS.

의료기관의 경영관리를 위한 대학의 회계교육에 관한 연구

With the rapid development of the medical industry, competition in the medical market is gradually intensifying. However, due to the negative perception of business performance management of medical institutions and the lack of professional manpower, business performance management of medical institutions is insufficient. Research on business performance management of medical institutions is insufficient, and research on business performance management personnel of medical institutions is even more insufficient in the future. Accordingly, this study was conducted to understand the relationship between the characteristics of accounting education, learning flow, and learning outcome of college students majoring in hospital management, who will become key talents in business performance management of medical institutions in the future.
 As a result of the study, it was found that there was a significant influence relationship between the characteristics of the educational environment, learning flow, and learning outcome of university accounting education. All three detailed factors for the characteristics of the educational environment (school educational environment, professor's teaching technique, and computer accounting software) were found to have a significant positive effect on learning outcome through learning flow. Through the results of this study, it will seek ways to improve students' studies and be used as basic data for establishing effective educational techniques for accounting education.

The effect of Female Consumers’ Consumption Propensities on Reuse Intentions in Chinese Aesthetic Medical Market: Focusing on Mediating Effects of Brand Images and Country Images

The effect of Female Consumers’ Consumption Propensities on Reuse Intentions in Chinese Aesthetic Medical Market: Focusing on Mediating Effects of Brand Images and Country Images

Shortages of Care and Medical Devices Affecting the Pediatric Patient Population

What Is the Issue? Shortage events, the phenomena when demand exceeds supply, can affect both medical care and medical devices. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a global shortage event, the consequences of which are still being experienced beyond the peak of the pandemic (e.g., the lack of pediatric pain medication available in fall 2022). Children are vulnerable to shortage events as they represent a small proportion of the overall population, have distinct needs, and the pediatric medical device market has historically offered a lack of options. What Are the Technologies? Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled devices, point of care testing, and virtual care options could contribute to alleviating shortages in pediatric care. Technologies such as 3D printing, alternative interventions such as tracheostomy during shortages of mechanical ventilators, and the reprocessing of single use devices such as ventilator tubes have been suggested in times of pediatric medical device shortages. Solutions to shortage events can take the form of novel devices, interventions, or policies; however, due to the complexity of this problem, a multipronged approach is likely needed. What Is the Potential Impact? Shortages can cause delayed intervention, which has health and financial costs. When cancer diagnoses and treatments are delayed, overall survival rates decrease. High-quality early intervention can change a child’s developmental trajectory and improve outcomes for children, families, and communities. Finding solutions to shortages, particularly for children as they are already at risk for health inequities, is crucial to ensure good health care outcomes in the long-term. What Else Should We Know? During a shortage event, alternative interventions may have different safety profiles or require different training than default practices. Equity should be a consideration when implementing technologies, interventions, and policies to address shortage events so that these solutions do not end up replicating or exacerbating existing inequities.

Skin tone representation in dermatologic direct-to-consumer advertisements: a cross-sectional analysis and call to action.

Direct-to-consumer advertisements (DTCAs) in medical marketing serve as a prominent modality to deliver information to an increasingly diverse audience of consumers and increase prescription sales. In dermatology, advertisements have the potential to shape the public's opinions, aid in the understanding of skin conditions, and raise awareness of available treatments. To investigate and characterize the representation of skin tones in DTCAs. Nielsen ratings were utilized to identify the networks most watched by Black viewers in 2022. Programming on NBCUniversal, ABC, CBS, and FOX that aired in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia from June 2022 to July 2022 was reviewed for DTCAs. DTCAs were then analyzed to determine the skin tones of models and skin conditions depicted on models with darkly pigmented skin. Of the 106 DTCAs related to dermatologic conditions, there were 13 unique advertisements featuring 32 unique models. Four advertisements depicted the skin condition on darkly pigmented skin tones. Using the Monk Skin Tone (MST) scale to assess the 32 unique individuals, only 25% (n = 8) were rated at an MST 7 or above, and 6.25% (n = 2) were rated at an MST 10. This study has the limitation of only sampling DTCAs from Washington, District of Columbia which does not fully represent all dermatology-related DTCAs in the United States. Results of this content analysis demonstrate that the number of persons of color within dermatologic DTCAs is 23%, whereas there are 13.6% Black individuals in the 2021 US census. This suggests that DTCAs are becoming more diverse since 2018. However, findings also show that the vast majority of DTCAs do not include models with darkly pigmented skin, and there remains a lack of advertisements depicting skin disease among people of color. Given the role of DTCAs in informing and aiding patients' requests for prescription drugs, representation of all skin tones is essential for this communication to be effective, especially in the field of dermatology.

The role of employers in ensuring working conditions conducive to the health of medical workers

The article examines the normative, conceptual and ethical aspects of employers' responsibility for creating jobs that reduce risks and ensure the health of medical workers. An overview of the normative documentation of the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization is presented, data reflecting the morbidity of health workers due to a weak degree of protection in the workplace are presented. It is concluded that the high degree of not formal, but real responsibility of the employer for ensuring working conditions conducive to the health of medical workers has a positive effect on their loyalty, reduces staff turnover, ensures the effectiveness and sustainability of the organization in the medical services market.

Drivers in determining medical tourism destination choice among international tourists using partial least squares method

Medical tourism is a relatively new segment that has spurred the attention of major health care leaders across the globe over the decade. The global medical tourism market has shown extensive growth whereby global medical tourism generated USD11.56 billion in 2020 which increased to USD13. 98 billion in 2021. The amount is projected to grow to USD53.51 billion in 2028. In Asia region, few countries are playing their roles as medical destinations such as Thailand and Singapore. However, Malaysia continues to lag far behind the neighbouring countries in terms of number of international visitors. Thus, the study aims to determine the drivers of medical tourism destination choice among international tourists. Purposive sampling technique was applied for the study. A total of 115 responses from 21 different countries were collected through Medical Tourism Agency Website and their overseas branch. Data were analysed using partial least squares method. It can be concluded that lower cost and tourist attraction have paramount importance as drivers in choosing Malaysia as medical tourism destination. The outcome of the study will contribute to the field of medical tourism particularly in the context of improvising the marketing strategies and strategic partnership.

Safety reporting of Essure medical device: a qualitative and quantitative assessment on the FDA manufacturer and user facility device experience database in 2018.

There have been numerous cases of adverse events since the introduction of Essure medical devices for sterilization in 2002. This study analyzed the safety event reports of the Essure reported in the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE). A retrospective analysis examined the MAUDE reports between Jan-1, 2018, and Oct-31, 2018 and focused on safety reports related to the Essure device. Safety reports were categorized and analyzed by their event type, device problem, patients' symptoms and the level of harm. Of this study cohort, 10% of samples were randomly selected for quantitative analyses. Thematic analysis was conducted for reports included death cases. A total of 4,994 eligible reports were analyzed. There were ten reports associated with individuals' deaths, and the main themes of safety reports from qualitative analysis were pains, bleeding, surgery, migraine, and infection. Quantitative analysis of 500 randomly selected samples showed that 98% of adverse event reports were associated with different injuries such as surgery, pain, bleeding, hysterectomy, and menorrhagia. Additionally, more than 90% of reports were submitted by the manufacturer. These findings indicated several safety issues of Essure. More meaningful pre- and post-marketing surveillance and regulation are warranted in the medical device market to ensure safety and effectiveness, including investigating complaints, promptly sharing relevant information with regulators and users, and implementing corrective actions.

Examining the antecedents of medical tourists' use of social media from the standpoint of self-efficacy

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine, from the self-efficacy standpoint, the factors that influence medical tourists' use of social media for travel planning. To that end, this study presents a conceptual framework for evaluating medical tourists' online behaviour and empirically tests the model's validity by examining various dimensions of self-efficacy.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 224 people who searched for medical tourism information online was used in this study. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the proposed model with data from an online questionnaire survey.FindingsThe findings suggest that sources of self-efficacy reinforce one's belief in the ability to use social media for medical travel planning purposes. According to the structural model analysis results, with the exception of social persuasion (SP), all of the proposed factors were significant sources of self-efficacy.Practical implicationsThe findings can assist medical tourism providers in optimising online searches for medical travel information, as well as medical tourism destination marketers in directing the tourism providers' marketing efforts towards the use of social media to target potential medical tourists more efficiently and on a larger scale.Originality/valueThis study is being conducted in response to a significant knowledge gap in identifying the factors that influence medical tourists' online behaviour. This information can help medical tourism destination marketers gain a competitive advantage by using social media to target potential medical tourists more effectively and on a larger scale.

UNIFICATION OF STANDARDS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MEDICAL DEVICES – CASE OF THE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

The entry into force of the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea on July 1, 2011 (EFTA) eliminated customs duties on 98.7% of products and removed non-tariff barriers to the export of key goods between them. The agreement in question is in many respects a pioneering solution both due to the broad subject of regulation and the degree of liberalization of trade, but also due to the fact that it is the first free trade agreement concluded by the European Union with an Asian country and the first so-called "next generation". Thanks to the implementation of the provisions of the agreement, the parties managed not only to reverse the negative balance of bilateral trade, but also to change the material structure of imports and exports of goods, among which medical devices play an increasingly important role, together with pharmaceutical products generate an annual trade surplus of EUR 60 billion. This article analyzes the functioning of the medical device market in the context of EFTA EU-Republic of Korea pointing to the need for the parties to take steps to harmonize medical device certification standards with particular emphasis on the potential of MDSAP
 
 

Metaverse in Healthcare: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions

Metaverse has the potential to reshape and transform the way people interact and perform their daily tasks. A metaverse is a virtual, digital, and three-dimensional universe formed by integrating different cutting-edge technologies and virtual places. In this paper, we discuss how the metaverse can be utilized in healthcare. We provide insightful discussions on the concept of the metaverse and its main enabling technologies. We explore and discuss the potential applications of the metaverse in healthcare, such as telemedicine and telehealth, medical education and training, medical marketing, healthcare supply chain, healthcare facilities, and fitness and wellness. We present the key challenges hindering the widespread adoption of the metaverse in healthcare. Finally, we recommend future research directions.

АНАЛИЗ ПОКАЗАТЕЛЕЙ РАЗВИТИЯ ДОБРОВОЛЬНОГО МЕДИЦИНСКОГО СТРАХОВАНИЯ И ПРОГРАММ СТРАХОВАНИЯ ЛЕКАРСТВЕННОГО ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ

The purpose of the study is to determine the direction of development of the voluntary medical insurance market and pharmaceutical insurance for the population of Russia. The materials of the study were the data of the statistical reporting form of insurers (reporting of the Bank of Russia); statistical indicators and information about individual subjects of the insurance business; the register of licenses issued to insurance companies, Insurance Rules, data on the population of the Federal State Statistics Service. The method of content analysis, the method of analysis of time series, methods of analysis, synthesis and generalization of information were used. It is revealed that the voluntary medical insurance market in 2022 is characterized by the following trends: a decrease in the volume of insurance premiums, a stable number of insurance contracts, the growth of the corporate segment, a decrease in the amount of payments, a decrease in the number of insurers working in the field of health insurance, high monopolization of the market. A significant increase in the share of corporate voluntary medical insurance shows not only the unwillingness and/or inability of individuals to purchase insurance policy, but also the alertness of insurance companies to this insurance sector in times of turbulence. The top 10 (by the amount of insurance premiums) companies operating in the field of voluntary medical insurance have been identified. Drug insurance in the form of a separate program is offered by 6 companies from the top 10 offer a separate drug insurance program; all 6 companies apply a franchise, the level of which ranges from 10% to 100%; 2 companies include the provision of biologically active additives and medical products, 1 company offers the provision of specialized nutrition products. The basic tariff rates for drug insurance programs are significantly higher than those for medical care insurance.