PATENTING MEDICAL INVENTIONS

Medical, dental, nursing, and biomedical personnel often perform criti cal research that can lead to patents. Similarly, patentable discoveri es can be made during the normal course of medical practice, e.g., the development of new biocompatible polymers, improved dental materials, new or modified catheters, new laboratory diagnostic tests, and impro ved medical devices. Many inventions may not be patented in federal or ganizations due to the lack of information available on the patenting process. In this article, the financial benefits that can be derived f rom patenting inventions are discussed, as well as the different types of patents that can be obtained, the conditions for patentability, ba rs or restrictions to obtaining a patent, the importance of proper rec ord keeping, and the steps to take toward getting an invention patente d.