Johnson & Johnson is well known for its care products, but the company also provides many developments that are less well known, that help thousands every year. Johnson & Johnson DePuy Synthes is one of the leading innovators in orthopedic devices and has just added four new products to its deformity portfolio as well as devising a new nailing system for hip fractures.

To keep on top of the latest developments, it has also restructured its research and development department to focus on addressing clinical issues holistically. One of the steps in this process was the acquisition of Synthes a few years back, which was lacking a cohesive research strategy as it was split between eight different divisions.

“By bringing them all together, we can tackle issues that span across trauma, sports medicine and joint reconstruction all together” explained Dr. Martin Fitchet, Global Head of Research and Development for DePuy Synthes. “By having one R&D organization, our developers can work more closely with each other to tackle clinical challenges.”

Physicians these days have to consider a lot more than just the operation itself, as quality is also about patient satisfaction, data collection and protocol development. This ensures that clients get the best possible experience during their time under care. Scott Zellner, Director of DePuy Synthes Advantage expanded on this “We have the ability to maintain the cadence of high quality, innovative products, but now we are also ambitious about utilizing different technologies together to promote the patient experience.”

One of the latest innovations is DePuy’s CareSense, a subscription based software, created to facilitate better data collection and real time data analytics, that should help streamline the process.  The software is already in place at over 150 hospitals in the U.S. and the hope is to add to its capabilities by introducing Patient Athlete. This video based program provides self guided lessons to reduce pain and improve function before surgery.

Scott Zellner explained its benefits “Typically a patient would prepare physically for surgery, but what about emotionally?  Are they excited about what joint replacement will do with their lives? The video focuses on outcomes and rehabilitation participants. It touches on the spiritual aspects of the patient.” The program has been well received so far with around 88 percent of patients recommending it to their friends and family. With all these exciting new developments, the future for a difficult period in a patient’s life looks bright indeed.

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