In this issue

When developing mobility aid devices, designers have to prioritise function over form to ensure that the end result performs as it should for the user. Consequently, the majority of products in this market have a grey – often drab – aesthetic that reflects the clinical environment.

The problem with this default clinical appearance is that it can be off-putting for the patient who will have to use a visually obvious device that jars with their everyday style for lengthy periods of time.

Technological advancements have helped to close this aesthetic gap, allowing for the mass production of sleeker and more stylised products, but these remain in the minority. In this issue of Medical Technology, we explore the growing demand for more aesthetically pleasing mobility device designs, and the barriers standing in the way of mainstream success.

Elsewhere, we take a look at the rise of counterfeit medical devices during the Covid-19 pandemic and the efforts underway to prevent them from reaching patients, ask if electricity could offer a viable alternative to opioids, and examine methods that hospitals are using to reduce their climate impact.

For all this, plus the latest insight and analysis from GlobalData, read on.

Eloise Mclennan, editor