Telemedicine. Genomics. Proximity laboratories for reporting test results at pharmacies and directly at general practitioners' surgeries. These are scenarios that are partly still futuristic, partly already realized, in the healthcare sector in Italy, a country at the forefront of this field, thanks to the beneficial biodiversity of its industrial fabric, where small companies coexist with large groups. The results are clearly reflected in the numbers: the production of medical devices alone in fact amountsto 18.3 billion euros between exports and the domestic market, with 4,641 companies that employ 117,607 workers (Confindustria data, January 2024).

A fertile ground for customisers, who have long since implemented their assortment with the protective devices we all became familiar with in the two years of the pandemic. Exhibitors at PTE – Promotion Trade Exhibition such as German company Easy Gifts , for example, offer the possibility of printing the outside of disposable or reusable cotton masks, compliant with Ffp2 standards. And for sanitising gels too, there are plenty of variations on the theme: they come in original travel-size bottles complete with a belt/bag clip (from the Easy Gifts catalogue), and in dispenser form, if required with a special stand or an infrared dispensing device, as in the Siliconrange. The Silicon catalogue also includes antibacterial mask cases, pulse oximeters and remote thermometers.

Makito even offers a Type C ultraviolet light holder, specially designed to eliminate microorganisms and bacteria from smartphones and other everyday objects.

The considerable expertise gained by promotional textile operators has also benefited the area of clothing for doctors and paramedics, as is the case with the women's scrubs by Dickies Medical (a brand distributed by TopTex), where the traditional tunic is burgundy with a more dynamic, attractive design, incorporating the typical crossover detail of the wrap-around top. Elegance also makes its debut on the ward with Portwest, a brand from the Innova portfolio, with its Modern gowns that conceal double-sided brass zips under a strip of fabric. A choice dictated by safety, but that also enhances the aesthetic aspect, resulting in garments that look good even when worn elsewhere.
Health is a dimension that touches every aspect of our lives and actions. It is protected and monitored by the state through its regulations, closely linked to the well-being and safety of the community. As a result, new legislative measures can sometimes indirectly drive the diffusion of new products: this is the case of breathalysers, which recently hit the headlines following the introduction of the new highway code. Catalogues from companies like Get Impressed quickly followed suit, offering pocket-sized breathalysers with smooth white casing, easy to personalise with the pad printing technique.
The range of possibilities opened up by such a vast field as the medical sector is so wide that  there’s even room for a bit of healthy irony. For instance, in its Cool 2025 catalogue, Anda Present offers ballpoint pens in the shape of a medicine tube or even a syringe, the latter with a name that speaks for itself: “Vaccine”.