The conference placed focus upon ‘Transdisciplinary Perspectives on a Circular Economy for Small Medical Devices.’ The University has collaborated with Nottingham Trent University and the University of Leeds to develop this research and deliver the event.
The conference welcomed over 80 attendees from multiple sectors including academia, manufacturing, healthcare, waste management, reprocessing, design, and consultancy. The event hosted a variety of guest speakers, including James Meadwell, Dr Agnes Henson, and Daniel Coole, alongside ReMed research associates as well as a keynote presentation from Professor Mahmood Bhutta from Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
Presentations offered a broad range of content, exploring materials circularity, reprocessing medical devices, sustainability strategies within the medical device industry. Issues surrounding the environmental impact of medical disposal were discussed, including the negative effect PPE has had on the planet as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the event, Vice Chancellor Nick Jennings gave a speech highlighting the importance of events such as these, making links to the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and its role in resource management. “In product design, AI is increasingly being used in product design to test things to be able to give experience of what it's like to use a device by using virtual or augmented reality to experience it, to experience the way that it is constructed and the overall user experience. Again, AI has something really important to say for that.”
Vee Mapunde, NIHR Surgical MedTech Cooperative and Panel Discussion Member, commented: “As a project partner, ReMed 2023 was the perfect way to close out 2023 by showcasing the progress made in creating a sustainability framework for small medical devices. I am excited to see how this progresses in the next year, and how we can make moves towards implementation to support the sustainability agenda for medical technologies and healthcare technologies.”
After the success of this event, ReMed are planning to hold their second conference in late September 2024, building further on the topic of sustainability within the medical industry.