5 TIPS ON HOW TO GET YOUR NEW MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY ADOPTED BY THE HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS

It is known that medical professionals are quite slow in adopting new medical technology and medical devices. Though, this trend starts to take a different turn due to this year’s pandemic. For instance, there has already been a 42% increase in the use of telehealth system compared to 2019.

But still, investing in new medical devices presents its risks from the perspective of healthcare organizations. Some of the aspects that affect their decision in adopting new tech are its safety and practicality, additional workload for staff, and availability of financial resources. And if you, as an individual inventor or a company, developed a new device, you might face some challenges in persuading healthcare representatives to invest in your product.

To help you navigate medical waters during your sales pitch and presentation, we have 5 tips that address the most common concerns of the adoption of new medical technology.

Oftentimes, the healthcare staff can’t see the problem that new medical devices solve. And if the problem is not clear, then they fail to find a reason to adopt and invest into new tech. Therefore, your goal is to first identify the problem, and only then offer the solution.

The great way to do it is to demonstrate your product to those who will use it daily. Place your attention to the needs of nurses, doctors, and other medical staff, because they are the ones who will implement your new medical technology to help their patients and/or improve efficiency.

Make sure your presentation shows very clearly what specific problems your device or service solve. This way the purchasing agents and physicians will feel more confidence adopting new medical technology.

Point to the features and aspects of your device that make it superior to other similar products and how it is safer. The chance of them purchasing your device increases when you focus on how it will enable end users to achieve their exact goals.

For instance, you developed a product that takes and records a patient’s vital signs at specific times during the shift. Then it instantly sends that data to the doctor’s iPad. Instead of talking about the device’s software and how fast it collects and transfers information, focus on showing how it solves the understaff issue.

There is no need for the nurse to check on the patient constantly. Both she and the doctor will be notified immediately about any changes in the patient’s condition. By convincing the audience that your medical technology resolves real issues, you will help them to envision implementing your device into their workflow.

When it comes to explaining new technology to people, words aren’t enough. And we know that the most effective way for the human brain to understand information is through visual perception.

Thus, we recommend using 3D modeling and animation, along with clear and catchy pitch. Together, it will make your presentation easy to comprehend and to immerse your potential customers into the demo.

The value of medical technology implementation over its adoption is a common problem among medical professionals. The healthcare facility would rather give the priority to the successful implementation of new medical devices and technologies than to their long-run benefits.

Such an approach is determined by the hospital budget and whether or not they will be able to implement it within a specific timeline. The physicians can also point to how fast the team will learn to use the device. In combination, all these implementation concerns may become an obstacle for the hospital to buy a useful device that would improve patient care.

You have two ways of tackling this issue. First, help the medical staff see the value of adoption over implementation. Showcase all the positive results the new medical technology brings to patients and how it improves long-term efficiency.

Use 3D modeling and animation to illustrate what your product does and how it improves patients’ health. Second, demonstrate in a clear way that implementation of your device is easy, if that’s truly the case. Point out the product quality features and provide a road map for the step-by-step adoption. It is essential that you recognize the implementation as a critical factor for medical professionals and use your time to address it.

There is a common fear among medical professionals changes in the workflow might cause medical error and harm patients. They might have concerns about the incorporation of new medical technology in terms of inconsistencies in patient care and time waste, which leads to reduced quality of care.

There is another aspect of anxiety. It’s that medical staff won’t be able to use the device properly or get through necessary training for its proper use. All new medical devices anticipate training. And, of course, the team should be confident in using new technology before applying it to patients. Therefore, the period of adjustment is natural. But not every hospital is ready to take risks, no matter how much a new device can positively influence and improve patients’ experience.

When preparing your pitch, you need to point out that change promotes growth and that patients expect their healthcare professionals to use the latest medical technology. Again, make it clear that your device has everything necessary for easy use. Additionally, provide training that demonstrates in detail how to utilize it correctly.

For example, you can create a mobile training app for the potential users. Interactive training allows healthcare professionals to understand how your new medical technology applies in real life and experience the learning process. Using the app at your presentation will help you engage the audience and show how the medical team can easily learn the tech. The app itself and the demonstration of how your device minimizes medical error will reduce their concerns about. This, in turn, will allow them to see the benefits your product brings.

A great example of reducing errors technology to look at is a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS). It provides doctors with complete information about their patients when needed. “The system offers reminders to use care standards such as preventative care about RH before delivery; or alerts users about the risks (like allergies, lab tests such as platelet count).” It was shown that CDSS reduces serious medication errors by 55% and total medication errors by 83%. To help you influence the purchasing decision to your advantage:

1. Pinpoint how exactly your new medical technology reduces medical errors

2. What improvements it brings to the hospital workflowand how it benefits patients.

Curiously enough, physicians are the main decision makers when it comes to adopting new medical technology.  And if they are not motivated to buy a new product, then it doesn’t really matter what other team members feel about the technology.

There are many different factors that influence physicians’ decisions. Let’s look at the study of Electronic Health Records (EHR) adoption. The data brief published by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology shows five main reasons that influence physicians not to adopt EHR:

• 57% lack financial resources
• 48% lack time
• 40% lack staff
• 43% have privacy and security concerns
• 21% no EHR system fits their specialty

Because of these factors, the physicians lacked motivation to adopt such medical technology and some facilities didn’t incorporate EHR. But sometimes, physicians resist change because they become very accustomed to their ways. They’ve worked very hard to establish a consistent and effective workflow.

Of course they fear that new tech may disrupt it and cause harm to patients. Time and efforts invested into developing an optimal working environment, finding ways to avoid errors and provide the best possible care are strong enough reasons not to bring change in the form of new medical devices.

Considering all the above reasons, your sales pitch should pay special attention to physicians’ motivation. It is important because they’re going to be the ones to have more influence in decision making.

First, establish the primary concerns of your audience. And then address each of them backed up by supporting evidence. But certainly show the way your product ensures privacy and security, how it optimizes workflow, and consequently improves patients care.

Medical professionals are very busy people. Their day consists not only from taking care of their patients, but also keeping up with all the paperwork. The study of Annals of Internal Medicine showed that “that doctors spent nearly twice as much time doing administrative work as actually seeing patients: 49 percent of their time, versus 27 percent.” It is understandable why doctors would be resistant to any new medical technology adoption.

Because for them it would only add more work on their shoulders and steal their precious time. And this aspect may affect the outcome of your presentation if you don’t consider and address it.

We know that not all technology and medical devices create a workload opportunity. Take iPads for instance. They greatly help practitioners save time by entering patent’s data to the system right away. There is no need to use hard copy anymore.

They are portable, easy to carry, and hard to lose. Look at your device and identify its winning features. Ask questions about how exactly your medical technology takes the workload pressure off, how it creates more time for doctors to do what they do best, and how it improves patient care.

At your pitch, present your answers in a clear way so the doctors don’t see your product as a threat. Using 3D modeling and animation, a work-like prototype of your product, and training apps helps your audience experience the benefits of your new tech in real time. Experience speaks louder than words and doesn’t leave room for hesitation or doubt.