Listen to Customers

Often it’s the people on the frontlines of healthcare who can offer the most innovative ideas. The physicians and surgeons who interact with patients on a daily basis are the ones who best understand a device’s clinical application and where needs are unmet in their market.

For example, a surgeon might come up with an idea for the perfect tool to help him provide a better quality of care to patients. Or a physician in an emerging market might recognize that the design of a device needs to be simplified in order to accommodate the capabilities of the majority of surgeons in that market.

Some medical device companies already have implemented strategies to improve engagement with physicians and patients who may have promising ideas for medical technologies. Medtronic Inc. developed an online Web portal to drive innovation. Shortly after the U.S. portal went live, it received between 100 and 150 proposals from inventors; 70 percent of those came from U.S. residents.²
By tapping into the knowledge and creativity of those who have a clear understanding of the patient, the physician, and the diseases they face, medical device companies can expand their ability to create new and different products that improve patient care.