What is state-of-the-art in medical devices?
The term “state of the art” commonly refers to the highest level of development, achievement, or progress in a particular field. It represents the most advanced or innovative techniques, methodologies, technologies, or practices currently available.
However, the definition of state-of-the-art in the context of medical devices is different. State-of-the-art is the current knowledge or good practice acceptable in the medical devices industry.
The term state-of-the-art may be used in two different contexts in medical device innovation:
- State-of-the-art (SotA) evaluations: The current knowledge and good practices acceptable for a particular medical device (the subject of this article). This may also be called SotA assessments.
- State-of-the-art standards: The current standards apply to a medical device development or management process. For example, the SotA for medical device Quality Management Systems is ISO 13485:2016. These are the international standards for establishing and maintaining a QMS for economic operators involved in the medical device sector.
This article focuses on SotA evaluations or assessments as they apply to medical device innovation.
What are state-of-the-art evaluations
SotA evaluations use systematic approaches to identify evidence from existing data sources on the current knowledge and good practices acceptable for a particular medical device. They are crucial tools for gathering and analysing clinical evidence in the medical devices industry.
SotA evaluations identify current clinical guidelines, identify and evaluate predicate devices, and provide evidence supporting medical device innovation. They provide the clinical context for a medical device, which is essential for its development and regulatory approval.
State-of-the-art evidence falls into three broad categories:
Clinical background:
The clinical background for a disease encompasses a comprehensive overview of its medical, physiological, and pathological aspects. It typically includes disease classification, aetiology, diagnosis, pathophysiology, epidemiology, treatment, management, and prevention. It provides context for developing a medical device and is included in regulatory and reimbursement submissions.
Clinical guidelines:
Clinical guidelines play a pivotal role in healthcare practice. They provide evidence-based recommendations and standards of care, guiding clinical decision-making and optimising patient outcomes. These guidelines, rooted in scientific evidence, expert consensus, and best practices, offer healthcare professionals a framework for delivering safe, effective, and patient-centred care across diverse medical specialities and clinical scenarios.
Multiple clinical guidelines often cover a single disease, each focusing on a specific part of the care continuum, such as diagnosis, treatment, prevention, or monitoring. Medical device innovators can use current and historical clinical guidelines to understand established clinical workflows in different settings and predict how their innovation would affect current best practices.
Patient population:
A medical device’s effectiveness may vary across different patient populations. Factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, comorbidities, and disease severity can impact device performance and clinical outcomes. Specific patient populations may have unique anatomical, physiological, and clinical characteristics that influence the design and functionality of medical devices. Some populations may be more vulnerable to adverse events or complications associated with device use.
Understanding patient demographics and epidemiology also helps manufacturers identify target markets, assess market size and demand, and develop marketing strategies that resonate with the intended user base. By addressing diverse patient populations’ specific needs and preferences, developers can enhance market acceptance and adoption of their devices.
Clinical settings:
To realise their full potential, medical devices must seamlessly integrate into clinical workflows and patient care pathways. Understanding clinical settings allows manufacturers to design devices that align with clinical practices, protocols, and standards of care appropriate for each setting. This facilitates device adoption and integration into healthcare settings, enhancing usability and clinical utility.
State-of-the-art evaluations should identify existing solutions used to meet a medical need. Existing solutions may fall into three categories:
- Predicate devices: A predicate device is an existing legally marketed device that serves as a point of comparison for a new device seeking approval. It is substantially equivalent to a new device in terms of safety, performance, and intended use.
- Devices in development: These devices are future predicate devices that are not yet available on the market.
- Alternative technologies: Technologies, processes or procedures that achieve the same medical need through a different technology.
This information is useful in providing context to the development of medical devices. Regulatory authorities and payers evaluate the benefits and risks of new technologies in the context of the current state-of-the-art. Accurately identifying existing solutions will help to:
- Define design controls for the device, including design inputs and verification and validation activities.
- Highlight existing and emerging competitors
State-of-the-art evaluations can help identify evidence related to technological development aspects such as clinical, performance or safety.
They summarise data on how well the device performs in clinical settings, including its ability to achieve the intended medical outcomes compared to existing alternatives. Reviews identify key performance indicators, such as accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and usability, offering insights into how the device functions in real-world conditions. The literature review can also extract safety and performance endpoints for designing clinical investigation strategies.
State-of-the-art evaluations are also useful in risk management. They can identify probable complications/hazards that can inform risk assessment. They collect data on adverse events, complications, and long-term safety outcomes, helping to assess the device’s risk-benefit profile.
Applications for SotA evaluations
SotA evaluations are required throughout the medical device lifecycle:
- Early-stage ideation, conception and feasibility: uncover gaps in current knowledge, identifying areas where further research or development is needed to improve the device.
- Regulatory submissions: They provide evidence supporting regulatory submissions by demonstrating the device’s compliance with clinical, performance, and safety requirements set by authorities. The data collected should relate to the device in development and predicate devices.
- Reimbursement and pricing negotiations: SotA evaluations are essential for Health Technology Assessments (HTA) as they provide the context for technology adoption.
Best practice for SotA evaluations
- Starting SotA activities early in development is good practice as this knowledge provides a solid foundation for ideation, conception and early-stage research. Reviews can uncover gaps in current knowledge, identifying areas where further research or development is needed to improve the device.
- Use industry best practices. Systematic Literature Reviews (SLRs) or an abridged review protocol will help ensure the evidence is collected in a systematic manner, reducing bias. Use reputable data sources.
- Identify all stakeholder requirements for SotA early so that processes can be designed around those requirements. For example, publishing a SotA evaluation as a systematic literature review in a peer-reviewed scientific journal for marketing purposes requires a protocol similar to the Cochrane Handbook. However, a review that forms part of the clinical evaluation report (CER) for a regulatory submission to a notified body does not.