Wind River
Intelligent Systems Solutions

Business realities are driving the need for connectivity in medical devices. For example, to reduce costs and meet consumer demands, seamless connectivity via Bluetooth and wireless local area networks (WLANs) is often required. Interoperable connectivity is important for keeping costs in line and ensuring compliance with safety and security standards and requirements, and the use of open connectivity standards can reduce implementation and life cycle costs. Connectivity also increases efficiency: IT integration with medical device functionality enables preventive monitoring and workflow optimization. Wind River® has solutions to help medical device developers meet the need for connectivity while addressing the issues of interoperability, compliance, security, and safety

Business Issues

Interoperability: A hospital is one of the most complex ecosystems in existence today, with diverse players, devices, and standards. Information must flow seamlessly through this ecosystem and be sustained throughout the life of the patient for optimal treatment and care.

Compliance: Medical device manufacturers constantly strive to develop safe, secure, intelligent, and connected products, balancing the stringent regulatory requirements of worldwide agencies such as the FDA with the aggressive time-to-market deadlines and cost pressures that govern the industry.

Security: Hospital IT organizations are challenged with managing and securing diverse hardware and software systems. Further complicating matters, some equipment manufacturers devise unique security solutions, often the result of designing purpose-built solutions based on non-standard or proprietary components. Consequently, determining whether equipment complies with the security policies of the purchasing hospital can be difficult.

Safety: The emphasis on safety is the only constant in medical device development. Design requirements, hardware architectures, development processes, and safety regulations all remain in a state of flux. To stay competitive, manufacturers must deliver safe devices on time and on budget, using a mix of legacy and next-generation tools and processes.