EPSRC-NIHR HTC Partnership Award Plus Funds: Technology Network-Plus on Devices for Surgery and Rehabilitation

改善结果，最大限度地减少再入院，优先安排医院资源，扩大以家庭或社区为基础的管理是NHS的主要目标。患者护理需要考虑到患者的整个康复过程以及对终身健康和福祉的潜在影响。因此，外科手术的未来正走向精确干预，越来越多地受到对手术后生活质量的关注，以及对手术采取系统方法的需要。拟议网络的目的是通过将EPSRC医疗技术与NIHR医疗技术合作社(HTCS)结合起来，建立一个无缝集成工程研究、临床翻译和产业发展的外科创新论坛，以加快新手术和辅助设备的开发和临床应用，这些设备可以改善患者的治疗、功能恢复、康复和生活质量。该网络得到了NIHR HTC、KTN以及许多学术、NHS、工业和医疗保健利益相关者的支持。拟议的技术网络将涵盖的研究和临床基础包括以下三个领域：1)改善围手术期护理的传感--这是减少术后并发症的一个决定性因素；2)智能外科设备--用于提高一致性和准确性的手术，简化术中手术决策，避免潜在的术后并发症和修订；3)辅助设备和机器人--在社区或家庭护理环境中促进远程监测和管理康复。这三个领域有着共同的工程研究挑战，但需要在不同的临床背景下进行。该网络计划的活动包括1)网络活动：专题讨论会和重点讲习班；2)战略路线图活动和用户论坛；3)支持跨学科流动和工业借调；4)概念验证项目和设计竞赛；5)展览和患者/公众参与；6)在线参与、网络论坛和社交媒体；以及7)卫生政策和高层参与。对参与拟议网络的人来说，好处包括与合作的HTCS、主办机构、针对外科手术未来的临床协调研究和开发路径建立了广泛的工业和临床联系的合作伙伴关系，医疗保健利益相关者和政策制定者的参与，获得这一高度跨学科领域的研究专业知识和年轻人才，早期最终用户参与，以及利用设计专业知识，获得用户组反馈，通过HTCS的临床网络快速产生结果，将证据与良好的、强大的商业参与的需求相匹配。

Improving outcomes, minimising re-admissions, prioritising hospital resources and expanding home or community-based management are major objectives of the NHS. Patient care needs to be considered for the entire recovery process of patients and potential impact on life-long health and wellbeing. The future of surgery is therefore moving towards precision intervention, increasingly driven by focus on quality-of-life after surgery, as well as the need for taking a systems approach towards surgery. The aim of the proposed network is to establish a forum for surgical innovation with seamless integration of engineering research, clinical translation and industrial development by aligning EPSRC healthcare technologies with NIHR Healthcare Technology Co-operatives (HTCs) to accelerate the development and clinical adoption of new surgical and assistive devices that can improve the treatment, functional restoration, rehabilitation and quality-of-life for patients. The network is supported by NIHR HTCs, KTN, and a number of academic, NHS, industrial and healthcare stakeholders. The research and clinical bases to be covered by the proposed Technology Network include the following three areas: 1) Sensing for improved peri-operative care - which is a determining factor for mitigating against post-operative complications; 2) Smart surgical devices - for surgery with increased consistency and accuracy, streamlining intraoperative surgical decision making and circumventing potential post-operative complications and revisions; 3) Assistive devices and robots - to facilitate remote monitoring and managed rehabilitation in community or home care settings. The three areas share common engineering research challenges but need to be pursued under different clinical context. The planned activities of the network include 1) Network Events: Symposia and Focused Workshops; 2) Strategic Roadmap events and User Forums; 3) Support for Interdisciplinary Mobility and Industrial Secondment; 4) Proof-of-Concept Projects and Design Competitions; 5) Exhibitions and Patient/Public Engagement; and 6) Online Engagement, Web Forum and Social Media; and 7) Health Policy and High Level Engagement. The benefits for those involved in the proposed network include partnership with extensive industrial and clinical connections already established by the partnering HTCs, host institutions, clinically aligned research and development pathways addressing the future of surgery, engagement of healthcare stakeholders and policy makers, access to research expertise and young talents in this highly interdisciplinary area, early end-user involvement, and tapping into design expertise, access to user group feedback, deliver rapid results through HTCs' clinical network, match evidence to needs of NICE, strong commercial engagement.