journal articles
DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR HEALTHY AGING: SEARCHING FOR THE RIGHT WAY
A. Piau, E. Campo, B. Vellas, F. Nourhashemi
J Aging Res Clin Practice 2016;5(2):61-64
Background: Medical imaging (e.g. PET-scan) and interventional (e.g. robotic surgery) technologies seem- to better fit the actual technological progress than do technologies for aging. The commercial market of aging care remains subdued since the introduction of low-technology devices decades ago (e.g. walker). Revisiting the evaluation and development methods of technologies to support healthy aging could help spread innovative technologies in this field. Methods and findings: In literature, a number of publications have been identified that addresses issues about technological devices that target the different needs of the older person. Nevertheless, a successful evaluation and development often remains unmet. This deficiency arises to a large extent from the confrontation of two worlds: that of technology which is not yet well versed in the field of healthy aging intervention, and the medical world which mainly uses the linear pharmaceutical drug development model. Many methods propose to tackle the global multidimensional evaluation of health technologies. However, they do not address the sequencing of the whole development and evaluation processes. In the present paper, we present a framework to help tackle the complexity of healthy aging technologies assessment and development. Conclusion: The evaluation and development methods usually adopted for healthy aging technologies are not appropriate and that all the collaborative multidisciplinary processes have to be revised.
CITATION:
A. Piau ; E. Campo ; B. Vellas ; F. Nourhashemi (2016): Development of technologies for healthy aging: searching for the right way. The Journal of Aging Research and Clinical Practice (JARCP). http://dx.doi.org/10.14283/jarcp.2016.93