The first month of the year is already behind us, and we are back with another Healthtech of the Week article reviewing a report published by Deloitte in December 2025. The report confirms that artificial intelligence in healthcare is no longer an innovation confined to pilot projects, it is increasingly becoming one of the core pillars of MedTech company strategies. The Life Sciences and Health Care Executive Outlook shows that the medical devices sector is entering a phase of mature AI adoption, viewing it not only as a tool for productivity improvement, but also as a direct driver of business growth and competitive advantage.

Against the broader life sciences landscape, MedTech stands out for its exceptionally high level of optimism. More than 80% of MedTech executives expect revenue growth in 2026, with sentiment remaining relatively consistent across geographies unlike in the biopharma segment, where regional disparities are far more pronounced. The key factor behind this optimism is the growing role of digital technologies and AI within MedTech product portfolios.

AI-Driven Diagnostics as a Core MedTech Product Priority

The Deloitte report clearly indicates that AI in MedTech is no longer perceived solely as a supporting technology. More than half of industry leaders now view AI-enabled solutions as one of the primary growth engines for their organizations. In practice, this reflects a strategic shift away from internal use cases such as process automation or operational analytics toward clinical products and solutions that directly impact diagnostic quality, therapeutic decision-making, and the efficiency of healthcare professionals.

This shift is particularly evident in the area of AI-driven diagnostics. Solutions based on machine learning algorithms that analyze medical images, diagnostic device data, or biological signals are among the most frequently cited development priorities for MedTech companies. AI is increasingly taking on the role of a digital co-pilot for clinicians shortening analysis time, improving consistency of results, and supporting earlier disease detection.

At the same time, Deloitte highlights a significant and measurable gap between ambition and real-world AI deployment. While 78% of life sciences leaders state that AI will be a key source of competitive advantage for their organizations in 2026, actual adoption remains limited. Only 22% of companies report having successfully scaled AI across their organizations, and just 9% say that AI investments have already delivered significant, measurable business returns. In practice, this means that most MedTech companies remain at the stage of fragmented implementations, proof-of-concepts, or localized pilots that have yet to be integrated into core operational processes, product portfolios, or the regulated medical device lifecycle.

For the MedTech sector, this suggests that 2025–2026 will be a period of clear market polarization. Companies capable of moving from experimentation to production-grade, regulatory-compliant AI scaling across products as well as clinical and operational processes will build durable competitive advantages. Others risk remaining trapped in a “pilot purgatory,” where AI’s potential is recognized but not translated into tangible clinical or business value.

Cost Pressure and Workforce Shortages Accelerate AI Adoption

Cost pressure is another critical factor shaping AI adoption. Workforce shortages, rising operational costs, and increasing expectations from healthcare systems are forcing medical device manufacturers to seek new sources of efficiency. In this context, nearly half of industry leaders identify AI as a key cost-control strategy across manufacturing, supply chains, service operations, and product lifecycle management.

The report also emphasizes the growing importance of the so-called “consumer mandate.” Patients and healthcare system users are increasingly adopting digital tools and AI-based solutions, expecting greater accessibility, convenience, and personalization. MedTech companies that fail to respond to these expectations risk losing competitiveness not only to other manufacturers, but also to new technology-driven market entrants.

What Will MedTech Look Like in 2026?

The conclusions of the Deloitte report are clear: AI in MedTech is no longer a vision of the future it is a prerequisite for the sector’s continued development. The year 2026 is shaping up as a turning point, marking the transition from “AI-enabled” to “AI-native medical devices,” in which algorithms become an integral part of product functionality rather than a standalone software add-on. For manufacturers, this represents a fundamental shift in how medical technologies are designed, certified, and commercialized from R&D and clinical validation to post-market surveillance.

Deloitte’s analysis shows that companies capable of translating AI’s potential into measurable clinical, operational, and economic value will set the new industry standard. At the same time, AI is becoming a critical response to cost pressures within healthcare systems, which increasingly demand solutions that are not only innovative, but also efficient and interoperable.

For the sector as a whole, this marks the emergence of a new technological normal one in which the absence of a coherent AI strategy encompassing product development, data, governance, and regulation is no longer a neutral choice, but a material business risk. Deloitte clearly signals that the market will continue to polarize: on one side, organizations able to scale AI in a regulatory-compliant and clinically credible way; on the other, those that remain limited to isolated implementations and pilots.

The question posed in the headline is therefore not whether AI will become the standard in medical devices, but who will define that standard. All signs point to market leadership being claimed by manufacturers that treat artificial intelligence not as a standalone technology project, but as the foundation of product, clinical, and business strategy in the era of digital healthcare transformation.

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Stay tuned for more in the “HealthTech of the Week” series, where we’ll continue to uncover fascinating stories from the world of medical technologies that are changing the face of healthcare. If you’re working on an innovative project in the field of new technologies and medicine or want to recommend an interesting solution, contact us at: [email protected].

A growing shortage of staff, an aging population, pressure to improve efficiency, and rising infection risks — today’s healthcare reality demands new tools. We have emphasized this many times in our HealthTech of the Week series, and today we can highlight another solution that helps address these problems. Nursee, a Polish real-time video analysis system, is emerging as one of the most promising responses to these challenges. After years of industrial experience, its creators are now directing their know-how to where the shortage is most acute: caregivers and nurses working under increasingly heavy pressure.

The team behind Nursee did not start in healthtech, yet their previous background became the foundation of the current project. For years, they worked on advanced real-time video analysis in industrial settings, where precision, reaction speed, and reliability are absolutely critical. At some point, they began to ask themselves: could this technology be brought into an environment where attentive observation is even more important, patient care?

– We noticed that healthcare lacks tools that could relieve staff of the most demanding and exhausting task: continuous patient observation – says Maciej Migacz, the project’s CEO.

Data confirmed the scale of the issue: the average age of a Polish nurse is around 54, and the number of patients requiring round-the-clock care is rising much faster than the number of people available to look after them. Add to that additional challenges: hospital-acquired infections, growing antimicrobial resistance, and increasing strain on the entire system.

Nursee was therefore created as technological extra eyes for medical staff – a tool that doesn’t replace humans but helps them act more effectively and safely. And, as it turns out, the future has already validated this need.

Privacy First

One of the first questions raised in the context of intelligent patient-monitoring systems is, of course, privacy. The creators of Nursee approached this area with exceptional caution, designing the system to minimize access to visual data.

– In Nursee, we treat the image as a signal. We don’t record it, store it, or make it available to staff. It’s not just about legal compliance, including GDPR, it’s fundamentally a matter of human decency and respect for patients – the founders emphasize.

That’s why the system’s vigilance is based exclusively on real-time analysis. Only when an incident requires intervention can single, anonymized frames be shared, frames that are impossible to use for patient identification. Importantly, all analysis can run entirely within the facility’s local infrastructure, without any data leaving the premises. This approach makes Nursee not only helpful but also compliant with the strictest safety standards.

The Role of MCSC and the First Hospital Pilots

In HealthTech of the Week, we’ve often observed that for many young projects the toughest challenge is… simply getting through the hospital door. Hospitals are cautious by nature, and deployments require strong credibility and solid proof that the product works, after all, human health (and often life) is at stake. Until now, the Nursee team primarily worked with care homes, where implementation barriers are lower. Hospitals, however, particularly valued two aspects: increased patient safety and meaningful relief for personnel who are currently operating at the very limits of capacity.

Participation in MCSC quickly translated into interest from investors and technology partners. This accelerated the development of the innovation, enabling the current version of the system to run 24/7. Thanks to infrared support at night, image quality remains sufficient even in complete darkness. What’s more, AI detects movement in real time. That means risks such as falls (e.g., approaching the edge of the bed), patients leaving the room, or breaches of isolation protocols are immediately signaled, enabling rapid staff intervention.

Why does this matter? Because these functions play a crucial role in the day-to-day operation of hospital wards. As the creators highlight, each of these situations requires an immediate response, yet they often go unnoticed when staffing levels are low. This is precisely where Nursee fulfills its mission: helping at the exact moment it is needed most.

What’s Next? Trend Analysis and Detecting Emergencies

The Nursee team is looking far ahead. They are currently developing modules for long-term monitoring of patient behavior, especially in care homes where subtle changes in activity can indicate serious health risks. In the future, the system could track the frequency of awakenings, nighttime activity, sitting on the bed, or shifts in daily rhythm. Such data can support both caregivers and physicians managing treatment.

Another planned set of functionalities includes more advanced applications: attempts to assess pain in bedridden patients, potentially improving treatment decisions, as well as detecting acute conditions such as delirium or epileptic episodes. 

– The potential is enormous. We rely on a single infrastructure cameras and as our algorithms grow stronger, we can deliver increasingly valuable support to healthcare staff – explains Maciej Migacz.

The team is also exploring the detection of especially dangerous incidents, such as accidental removal of a cannula. This is a rare occurrence, but one that requires an immediate response. As the creators emphasize, participation in MCSC has become an important element in building their credibility with hospitals and investors. They plan to leverage this momentum in the next stages of development. In the near future, the goal is to expand pilots and deepen collaboration with facilities that have already expressed interest in testing the system. In parallel, discussions with new partners are underway, along with preparations for international expansion, for which we are already keeping our fingers crossed.

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Stay tuned for more in the “HealthTech of the Week” series, where we’ll continue to uncover fascinating stories from the world of medical technologies that are changing the face of healthcare. If you’re working on an innovative project in the field of new technologies and medicine or want to recommend an interesting solution, contact us at: [email protected].

Today’s Healthtech of the Week spotlight goes to a project we previously introduced in brief. Since then, it has grown significantly enough to be recognized in this year’s edition of the MCSC competition by the Institute of Mother and Child. The team behind it tackles one of the most pressing challenges in modern healthcare: polypharmacy. It is a growing clinical and organizational burden that costs hospitals millions while exposing patients to real risks of adverse events. Once again, we take a closer look at Pharmdiver and its Smart Pharma Optimizer – a technology built not only to identify cumulative adverse drug effects but also to reduce staff stress and improve therapy quality.

At the core of Pharmdiver’s philosophy is the patient, especially the older adult who most acutely experiences the consequences of multiple medications. In Poland, one in three seniors takes many drugs simultaneously, creating a web of interactions too complex for manual assessment. Smart Pharma Optimizer aims to be the tool that finally lets clinicians move beyond improvised decision-making.

One of the most dangerous mechanisms in polypharmacy is the prescription cascade: an adverse drug reaction mistaken for a new illness, treated with yet another medication. The system analyzes therapy as a whole, pinpointing where the chain of events breaks clinical logic.

– Our priority is not just identifying interactions but actually breaking the vicious cycle that can silently worsen a patient’s condition for years. We solve critical yet often overlooked problems such as risky tablet crushing for enteral feeding or improper food–drug combinations. These small errors can wipe out the effects of therapy but they can be reduced to a minimum – explains Aleksandra Pypeć, Director of Strategic Hospital Development and Government Relations.

A Graph, Not a List: How the System Detects Cumulative Adverse Events

Most tools on the market analyze drug interactions in pairs. Pharmdiver goes further, using graph-based analysis of the patient’s entire drug regimen. The system visualizes and quantifies cumulative risks: bleeding, arrhythmias, metabolic disturbances, and then adjusts the risk profile to the patient’s characteristics, including age, sex, and comorbidities.

This approach means clinicians receive not another checklist of warnings but a personalized risk map, something that functions like a clinical GPS. It represents a new standard, particularly for facilities grappling with the consequences of polypharmacy and rising accreditation pressures.

Hospitals are becoming increasingly open in discussing medication-administration problems: tablet crushing, enteral administration, food interactions. These seemingly small steps can nullify treatment efficacy or lead to serious complications. Smart Pharma Optimizer automates these processes, guiding pharmacists and nurses on what can be split, crushed, substituted, or administered differently. The system also incorporates knowledge beyond the official SmPC, expert data buried in specialist textbooks that busy staff rarely have time to consult.

A Real-Time Clinical Radar

In medication safety, response time is everything. Pharmdiver built the system around two pillars: clear visualizations and integration with live safety updates from the national drug agency (URPL). The Risk Map helps clinicians determine within seconds whether a side effect is merely inconvenient or genuinely dangerous. It is a tool with the potential to reshape bedside clinical decision-making.

The team also plans to expand the system with alerts from the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate and data on drugs at risk of shortage. The goal is simple: no patient should be discharged with a prescription that cannot be filled. And as the founders emphasize, the biggest barrier to MedTech adoption in hospitals is staff fatigue with yet another software platform. Smart Pharma Optimizer therefore acts as an invisible analytical layer, integrated via REST API into existing systems without extra interfaces or extra clicks.

This approach drew the attention of hospital directors during the MCSC Hospital Leadership Innovation competition.

Hospitals Want Tools That Protect People, Not Generate Spreadsheets

Pharmdiver’s team openly admits they were surprised by how clearly hospitals articulated their expectations. They assumed organizers were looking for disruptive clinical breakthroughs but the response from hospitals was deeper, and profoundly human. They expected discussions about costs, timelines, and deployment logistics. Instead, they heard stories about exhaustion, responsibility, and the urgent need for tools that support staff in critical moments.

– Directors weren’t looking for another complicated system. They wanted something that would take even a fraction of the burden off their teams. The reaction to our drug-decomposition module was especially moving. We thought it was a niche, technical issue. It turned out that safe administration via feeding tubes or PEG is a daily challenge in intensive care, neurology, and geriatrics. We realized our technology isn’t just an algorithm; t’s a digital assistant that, in the middle of the night, gives a tired nurse the certainty that she is doing the right thing – says Marta Jasiewicz, CEO & Founder.

Pharmdiver’s ambition is to create the most comprehensive drug-safety solution in Poland. The next milestone is building a database of drug–disease interactions and algorithms assessing how renal and hepatic function affect therapy, shifting the focus from drug safety to clinical safety.

Artificial intelligence? The founders speak about it cautiously, yet confidently. Its role will grow but always hand-in-hand with expert knowledge, never detached from it. Smart Pharma Optimizer is not another hospital software module. It is an attempt to build a digital guardian of therapy safety, one that the Polish healthcare system needs more than it has been willing to acknowledge.

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Stay tuned for more in the “HealthTech of the Week” series, where we’ll continue to uncover fascinating stories from the world of medical technologies that are changing the face of healthcare. If you’re working on an innovative project in the field of new technologies and medicine or want to recommend an interesting solution, contact us at: [email protected].

Today marks the first entry in our Healthtech of the Week series, created during the winter scenery outside our windows. It inspired our team to reflect on transformation—especially digital transformation. In healthcare, this shift increasingly leans toward solutions that not only relieve medical staff but, above all, significantly improve the patient experience. This is where one of the projects distinguished during the 4th edition of MCSC comes in: Exura, a digital patient assistant designed to organize communication, strengthen coordinated care, and bring something that healthcare often lacks—predictability.

The beginnings of the project were rooted in very personal experiences within the healthcare system. Each founder had faced unclear medical recommendations, disrupted communication or difficulty navigating the next step in the care pathway. Exura grew directly out of these observations—becoming a tool that automates communication between clinics and patients and acts as a precise, structured guide throughout treatment.

– We realized this isn’t an isolated issue—it’s the daily reality of thousands of patients. The system communicates too little, too late, and in a fragmented way. That’s why we decided to build a solution that, on one hand, improves the work of medical staff, and on the other, cares for the patient at every stage of therapy – explains Hubert Kacprowicz, co-founder and co-CEO of Exura.app.

Dual benefits for both patients and clinicians quickly proved to be one of the project’s biggest strengths—though a deeper look reveals many more.

Less routine, more time for the patient

In many healthcare facilities, care coordinators and reception staff spend a large portion of their day answering the same recurring questions: what happens next, how to prepare, where to go for a test, or when to take a medication. Exura takes over these repetitive tasks by sending patients precise, timely information. As a result, the number of phone calls decreases, treatment becomes more organized, and clinicians gain more time for conversation, diagnosis and care.

A key advantage is the fact that Exura does not process sensitive data. This eliminates operational risk for clinics and allows fast, hassle-free implementation.

One of the system’s core strengths is how it guides patients through the treatment process. Instead of scattered information—SMS reminders, printed notes, email attachments or phone instructions—everything is consolidated within a single application. Patients receive reminders about medication doses, detailed preparation guidelines for visits or procedures, and information about upcoming check-ups and consultations. Each part of the therapy is presented clearly and sequentially, which significantly simplifies adherence and reduces the risk of errors.

A major advantage is also the ability to mark tasks as completed. This allows patients to track their progress and see what still lies ahead, bringing rhythm and transparency to the treatment process.

Long-term patient engagement

Modern medicine makes it clear: without active patient engagement, achieving full therapeutic effectiveness is difficult. Exura strengthens this engagement by turning sometimes complex treatment plans into simple, easy-to-follow timelines. The patient can see what has already been completed and what awaits in the coming days or weeks, which increases their sense of control and order.

– With the timeline and push notifications, patients always know what they’ve done and what still lies ahead. This boosts their activity, sense of control and adherence. In the first quarter of 2026, we plan to introduce a new feature for medical facilities that will allow physicians and coordinators to monitor, directly in the system, how well patients follow their recommendations – notes Hubert Kacprowicz.

Although Exura was created as a universal tool, its scalability quickly became one of its greatest advantages. It works equally well in small medical practices and primary care centers, in aesthetic medicine clinics, large healthcare networks and even hospitals. It is flexible, easy to use and secure, making it adaptable to various organizational structures and therapeutic models.

The Exura team also supports clinics in designing patient pathways and digital strategies, ensuring that implementation is comprehensive and delivers measurable organizational benefits.

A step toward wider adoption

Participation in the MCSC competition organized by the Institute of Mother and Child opened the door to an environment where public administration, the medical sector and technology innovators come together. Being selected among the top ten best solutions proves that Exura has the potential to significantly improve the functioning of healthcare facilities across the country.

The founders emphasize that the competition not only boosted the solution’s visibility but also facilitated cooperation with clinics and foundations, accelerating the collection of valuable clinical feedback and strengthening investor trust. Their current goal is for Exura to become a natural part of every healthcare provider’s infrastructure—an intuitive, safe and supportive tool for both treatment and prevention.

If this vision becomes reality, the healthcare system will gain a solution that brings calm, clarity and predictability to therapy—values that today form the foundation of modern, effective and patient-centered care. Fingers crossed!

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Stay tuned for more in the “HealthTech of the Week” series, where we’ll continue to uncover fascinating stories from the world of medical technologies that are changing the face of healthcare. If you’re working on an innovative project in the field of new technologies and medicine or want to recommend an interesting solution, contact us at: [email protected].