Why aren’t more medical technologies designed for children?
Friday 13 March 2026
Help us close the age-based gap in the health technology sector and break down barriers to developing healthcare innovations for children and young people.
Research and innovation into medical technology and digital health has resulted in major improvements in diagnostics, self-management of long-term conditions, efficiency of healthcare systems, and overall patient outcomes. The development of life-changing technologies such as implantable devices, new and improved surgical techniques, advanced imaging, and precision monitoring both in the hospital and remotely at home, has transformed adult healthcare across the world.
Yet when it comes to children’s health, innovation has not kept pace.
In recent years, UK research and innovation has rightfully begun to prioritise health inequalities in national strategies to try and ensure emerging innovations and improved healthcare services are accessible to all communities. Among the socioeconomic inequalities that many initiatives and funding calls aim to address, age is often overlooked, particularly for young patients.
A recent review revealed that 0.5% of FDA-approved orthopaedic devices were designed exclusively for children and young people1. Similarly, only 2% of approved AI medical devices for radiology were labelled for paediatric use2. Even looking through a broader scope beyond health technology and medical devices, only 5% of the UK’s national research budget is spent on paediatrics, and government funding for children’s services fell by 22% between 2010 and 2022. Given that children and young people make up around 20% of the UK population, this highlights the significant age-related gap in paediatric health research and technology innovation.
Why does this gap exist?
While the gap in innovation for child health is widely known and acknowledged, the reasons behind it are less clearly understood.
To address this, the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Paediatrics and Child Health and Innovate UK Business Connect are launching an industry-focussed survey aimed at medical technology companies to help us better understand the real-world barriers that limit engagement in this space.
We want to hear directly from industry leaders and representatives about the strategic, regulatory, commercial, and operational factors that impede investment in the development of paediatric health technologies, including organisations and companies that primarily focus on healthcare innovation for adult populations. Sharing your unique insight and perspective is essential in the design and implementation of meaningful solutions that will tackle this age-based disparity in health technology innovation.
We invite you to share your perspective and experiences to help shape the future of child health innovation by completing the survey using the link below.
It should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and the findings will be used to inform future policy discussions, investment strategies, and sector-wide initiatives for sustainable innovation for children’s healthcare.
This work is in collaboration with NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health and Innovate UK Business Connect.
- Dubin J, Sardesai K, Grote C, Tougas C, Branche K, Otsuka N. Pediatric Device Innovation: An Analysis of Food and Drug Administration Authorizations Over Time. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2024 Sep 4;106(17):1594-1599. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.23.01211. Epub 2024 Jun 5. PMID: 38838107.
- Kelly BS, Lee J, Antram E, Arthurs O, Shelmerdine SC. Safe for kids? AI medical devices in radiology overlook paediatric suitability. Eur Radiol. 2025 Oct 8. doi: 10.1007/s00330-025-11975-6. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41060417.