Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

Dr. Karl Marlowe

With over a decade of hands-on experience in the MedTech industry, Dr. Karl Marlowe currently holds the position of chief medical officer at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. His responsibilities entail leading the organization in patient safety, continuous improvement, leading research and development within the organisation.

Please tell our readers about your key roles and responsibilities at the organization.

My responsibilities at Oxford Health include leading the clinical transformation of service models to cope with the increased demand for healthcare. I also take responsibility for patient safety. Additionally, I lead research and development within the organization. This including basic discovery and translating new treatments for patient benefit, and having responsibility for medicines management within the organization, including med-tech developments and medicines.

What are the recent trends and challenges in the industry?

The changes in the last 12 to 24 months have been significant in the digitalization of care delivery, particularly in the use of virtual wards and medical technology and devices to monitor patients at home. Communication has also been transformed, emphasizing maintaining human connections through webinars, blogs, newsletters, and visiting sites remotely. Most importantly, there has been greater agility in making decisions and implementing interventions, balancing harm and risk.

“The changes in the last 12 to 24 months have been significant in the digitalization of care delivery, particularly in the use of virtual wards and medical technology and devices to monitor patients at home”

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the deployment of vaccinations and treatments for respiratory illnesses, in an agile and rapid manner while balancing risk and harm. This has led to a shift in focus toward population health benefits rather than just individual patient interactions. Early implementation at a population level can reduce demand upstream, and prevention and public health innovation need greater focus.

What will be your advice to your peers and colleagues?

There are three key areas of leadership to consider when implementing medical technology. First, to effectively lead implementations, leaders should avoid getting too technical when it comes to describing the technology’s details. Instead, they should consider the outcome for the individual the technology or intervention is aimed at, both for staff and patients. Second, the technology, or the intervention, should improve the individual’s outcome. And that bodes for both staff and patients. The third area is to be aware of, is the social structures that are in play, both within the hospital and within the community, and how shifting hierarchy can be used to support the implementation of technology. Sometime the change is best done, bottom up.

The technology should not increase the burden on staff but reduce it and allow more time for patient care. It is important to balance technology’s benefits with its impact on staff workload.

How do you envision the future?

There are a few key things to consider when working with healthcare organizations and firms to improve medical technology. Firstly, it is important to work in greater partnerships, combining competition and cooperation, also known as “co-opetition.” Secondly, it is important to focus on compassionate care and remove threat-based thinking when implementing new technology. Thirdly, organizations should be agile and innovative, testing out new ideas and being open to failure, and fourthly, they should consider the sustainability of the technology, including its social impact on the community where it is used. Additionally, there is a trend towards point-of[1]care testing and delivery, where technology is delivered as close to people’s homes as possible to benefit a larger population.