This article originally appeared in MD+DI on January 2, 2020.

What were the biggest medical device trends for 2019, and what will be trending in 2020? Are there any unmet healthcare needs that medtech companies should begin to address in 2020?

Editor-in-Chief of MD+DI, Daphne Allen, interviewed CTO Scott Thielman for their annual review of 2019.

Scott’s comments are featured in several sections of the article on topics including wearables, robotics, less-invasive medicine, and global regulatory changes.

A bonus section of the article includes expert predictions from Scott as well on what he sees for medtech in 2020 (and beyond).

Scott Thielman of Product Creation Studio says that “the high prevalence of fatty liver disease, 20%-30% in the U.S. population, is underappreciated. The more serious form, steato-hepatitis (NASH), may make up 5% of the population. With mild initial symptoms, this disease often progresses to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis or cancer before the patient seeks treatment. There is a need for more prevalent, lower-cost diagnostic tools and interventional or pharmacological therapies.”

Thielman also believes that medtech could play a role in addressing the increase in suicide observed since increased since the turn of the century for the United States. “Deaths of despair are avoidable if support networks can be alerted and appropriate interventions and therapy provided,” he says. “But, the varied causes make the problem of identification very complex. There is a need for better and more broadly applicable suicide diagnostics, perhaps involving AI techniques. Often counseling and treatment with pharmaceuticals is part of the therapy, but there are many places where medtech companies can help. Adherence to therapy is critical, an aspect that digital health is particularly suited for. And, expect a growing role for neuromodulation techniques.”

Check out the full article on MD+DI to learn more about the medtech landscape and trends for 2020.