Opinion: Patient-innovators fill gaps that industry hasn’t addressed — or can’t
The medical industry will never be able to deliver everything that patients need. Patient innovators can fill many of the gaps.
Here’s a long-held assumption that’s ripe for a challenge: Valuable improvements in health and patient care should come from experts in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and related industries.
There’s no question that such professionals are essential for innovation. But our research shows that patient-innovators also have important roles to play and will fill significant gaps that industry hasn’t addressed — or can’t.
Take Lisa Crite as an example. Like all women who have a mastectomy for breast cancer, she was advised not to shower. Not only does it keep the area dry, it also has internal pockets for the the wound’s drains.
