The Institute for Health Technology Studies (InHealth), Washington, has awarded three new research grants totaling more than $1.4 million to investigators at the University of Southern California, Northwestern University, and Stanford University. The funding will support three separate studies that will examine the social and economic impact of therapeutic medical devices, as well as the device innovation process.

The grants support InHealth’s research mission to develop objective data and add perspective to understanding the impact of medical technologies on patients, healthcare professionals, and the healthcare sector at large. Researchers will examine how medical technologies such as continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps affect diabetic patients’ quality of life and productivity; how to measure the effectiveness of medical technologies used to treat chronic wounds; and the roles of clinicians in the innovation process for medical technologies.

 “Examining the innovation process from beginning to end—from the roles of clinicians in developing new products to the technology’s long-term effects—gives physicians and policymakers the knowledge and evidence they need to make the best-informed decisions for patients and the public,” says Martyn Howgill, executive director of InHealth.  “It also feeds information back into the innovation process, allowing for the development of even more effective medical technology.”

This is the fourth set of grants awarded by InHealth since it began funding research in 2005. To date, InHealth has allocated more than $8 million toward research grants. Findings from this new round of studies are expected in 2010 and 2011. Grant details can be found at www.medicaldesign.com.