Important contributers in healthcare: from bedside to behind the 3D printer The role of the technical physician in healthcare

During the event, several technical physicians offered a glimpse into their work. Verhoeven, for instance, quite literally guided the press through the “maze” of the lungs. Together with pulmonologist and professor Erik van Heijden, he developed a procedure that allows physicians to reach abnormalities deep within lung tissue—something that previously carried significant risks.

This innovation has now been refined to the point where other healthcare professionals are being trained to use it. “At the moment, nine hospitals use this technique to diagnose patients with unclear lung abnormalities,” Verhoeven explains. “In many cases, we can estimate whether something is benign or malignant, but in uncertain cases, this system finally provides a way to be sure.”

Colleague Laura van Ginkel also shared insights into her work. When asked what technical physicians can contribute within a hospital, she responds with a smile: “I could talk for hours about the roles we play and the innovations we can still realize.”

Van Ginkel is currently pursuing a PhD focused on developing more patient-friendly casts using a 3D printer—an apparently simple product that, in practice, presents many challenges.

“There is still so much room for improvement,” she explains. “Patients often say that casts cause irritation, itching, or feel too warm. For healthcare professionals, they’re also impractical: if access is needed to an area under the cast, it has to be removed and reapplied entirely.” The new type of cast is easy to remove, simple to clean, and designed with ventilation openings that allow the skin to breathe. “We’re still developing it, but the patients who have tried it are extremely enthusiastic,” says Van Ginkel.

Colleague Ruud van Kaam works at the other end of the technological spectrum. While some focus on developing new innovations, he concentrates on applying them in intensive care. There, he treats patients with conditions such as severe brain injury by analyzing pressure inside the skull.

“In the ICU, I continuously monitor these patients’ brains,” Van Kaam explains. “We use a sensor to measure intracranial pressure. Based on that, we perform complex calculations that help determine the most appropriate treatment at any given moment.”

As a technical physician, he plays a crucial role in analyzing and interpreting data. “Because of our technical expertise, we can truly understand these calculations. And because we also have medical knowledge, we can translate that information into concrete, well-founded clinical advice,” he says.

Finally, colleague Koen van der Veen discussed his work in neurosurgery. He is involved in the application and development of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for people with Parkinson’s disease. DBS is a therapy in which two electrodes are implanted into a specific area of the brain. These electrodes deliver electrical signals that can reduce movement-related symptoms in Parkinson’s patients.

During his presentation, two patients—Klaas and Ruth—are also present. Both have Parkinson’s disease and have been treated with DBS. “Since the therapy was adjusted, we hardly experience any tremors,” says Ruth. “And we need much less medication, which is also really helpful,” Klaas adds.

The electrodes are controlled by a type of “pacemaker” placed under the skin near the collarbone. “You can feel a small bump, but otherwise it doesn’t bother you at all,” Klaas says. The couple proudly shows where the device is implanted. When asked how it has changed their lives, they respond enthusiastically: “It has given us a lot of quality of life back. Thanks to DBS, we take fewer medications now—and we can adjust them again if symptoms worsen,” Klaas says.

Van der Veen also assists during the surgeries in which the electrodes are placed. In addition, he works on improving DBS technology. “The therapy is complex and becoming even more so. That’s exactly why it’s important to be involved in both its development and its implementation,” he explains.

As technical physicians play an increasingly important role in healthcare, it is essential that they, like medical doctors, have opportunities to further specialize in a standardized way. “Right now, each of us is essentially reinventing the wheel, even though we have a broad set of transferable skills that can be applied across many departments,” Verhoeven says.

While medical graduates can go on to specialize as surgeons, general practitioners, or psychiatrists, such structured pathways are still lacking for technical physicians. That is why both the professional association and the academic programs are actively working toward developing formal postgraduate training opportunities.

The fact that the mentioned technical physicians all graduated from the University of Twente is no coincidence. Radboudumc and the University of Twente maintain a close collaboration. Within this partnership, the Health Tech Nexus project was established, focusing on so-called “unmet needs” in healthcare: urgent challenges for which no adequate solutions yet exist. By increasing visibility within this collaboration for technological developments in healthcare as well as the role of technical physicians, it is also hoped to contribute to the development of a postgraduate training program.