Talking HealthTech: 326 – Enabling faster engagement of technology with adoption teams. Spring Summit 2022 Feature Episode

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The successful implementation of technology and healthcare relies on the users of the technology being given the support they need to onboard the new technology to unlock the value from their investment as soon as possible while at the same time minimising disruption to the users.

This episode is based on session seven of the Talking HealthTech Spring Summit, which features a panel discussion with Karen Snee from Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service and David Kim from 3M Health Information System Division. This session was moderated by Pete. This discussion surrounds enabling faster engagement of technology with adoption teams.

LinkedIn Flash Poll

Question: What is the best measure of a successful technology implementation in healthcare? 

Responses:

• 56% -the best measure is that efficiencies are gained 

• 36% -the best measure is that everyone’s happier

• 8% -as long as the services are not disrupted, then it’s a success. 

• 0% -cost containment is the best measure of a successful implementation.

Meet the Panel

David runs the implementation and adoption teams at 3M’s Health Information Systems division. He works with the project teams whenever a customer purchases the clinician speech tools to ensure that it is set up properly, then works really closely with the clinicians to guarantee that the whole change management and the adoption pieces run smoothly.

Karen works in clinical informatics at the Sunshine Coast Health Health Service, which sits within health information and under the broader portfolio of digital health and technology within the HHS. She manages a medium-sized team who is responsible for clinical information systems for the HHS. Karen’s team provides system training, support and adoption system and system and record maintenance. A significant part of their role is relationship management with the team, the multidisciplinary hospital staffing base, vendors and contractors.

Sunshine Coast Health Health Service’s Role in Technology Adoption

A key part of what Karen and her team do is client relationship management, which means ensuring that they understand the client. As such, they must know who they are, how they use that technology, and how they can best support them through the implementation and adoption phases. Sunshine Coast Health Health Service is the central contact for the clinical tech that they manage. They build relationships with multidisciplinary teams to facilitate that adoption.

Because of their role, they have to know intricate details like how savvy the clinicians are and what we can do to understand, influence and support their experience. Among the many factors that they have to consider and juggle in that relationship to support the adoption, is also change management principles. This means looking at what will improve patient and client care, the workplace environment and their work process. 

Furthermore, Sunshine Coast Health Health Service uses a service-centred approach to get an intimate understanding of its clinicians and the technology being implemented. Knowing what the impacts on that clinical base are and how the team can assist with making it better also allows for flexibility in delivering the technology. Additionally, there is the issue of change fatigue to consider, so aligning the delivery with the clinician’s schedule is the most ideal approach. 

To get clinicians on board, Karen and her team have used multiple strategies, such as starting out with pilots and doing road shows. To better support their clients and improve adoption, the team also needs to know the long-term benefits to the individual, the patient and the organisation. It’s also very important not to overpromise. 

Things to Consider When Seeking Clinician Buy-in

When it comes to the clinician’s buy-in, it mainly has to do with winning a game of hearts and minds. In many cases, when the decision to purchase these speech technology tools is made, it’s typically done with a really small group of executives or clinicians. Therefore, when the time comes for change implementation, and the go-live, this massive change in how the clinicians work is quite significant for them. Typically, this leads to a lot of frustration and resistance. For that reason, it is best to get the clinicians involved in the very beginning. 

Involving them from the start helps them to feel like a part of the entire process because the worst thing that can happen to the clinician is just being told that a change is coming and they are gonna have to deal with it. Once the clinicians feel like their opinions are heard, and their inputs were taken into consideration from the planning stage, it may lead to a better and a more harmonious relationship between the vendor and the clinicians, allowing the overall project to run smoother.

Satisfying all the Stakeholders

There are many stakeholders within the healthcare sector, and one way to keep them happy is through optimal communication. Keeping everyone in the loop makes them happy. This is also why using a hypercare approach in the delivery of significant tech is essential, particularly because during that change. This approach includes responsiveness and understanding their business and how the technology best fits within what they are doing on a day-to-day basis and customising wherever possible. 

Understanding individual clinicians and clinical services as a whole and how they use a technology, and what can be done to streamline or tailor their experience is essential to achieving satisfaction. 

The Hypercare Approach

It may seem like a significant outlay of resources, but it sets the pace really well for light touches once that initial implementation has been accomplished because the clinicians have been empowered to embrace the technology and have been supported throughout the process.

For clinicians who are accustomed to working a certain way, then, there is this sudden change, introducing these new speech tools that are supposed to make their lives easier. While some clinicians may have their doubts, others may be excited, and they are the ones who become early adopters and embrace that new technology. 

However, for the ones who are on the fence, and especially the ones who are very resistant, especially if that change is somewhat forced upon them, it is best to take advantage of that hypercare situation. If they can be switched to being a bit more positive, then that’s the best resource in terms of adoption because all the clinicians talk. Talking amongst each other means that they will share details about various features and what works best for them, which indirectly encourages others to give it a try. Therefore, hypercare is very important from the early stages, so it will be rewarding to invest a lot of that energy and adoption into that approach. 

Catering to the Similarities and Differences During the Implementation Phase

Even though each implementation is different, they tend to be key commonalities, and it all comes down to customer relationship management, which definitely assists in the different implementations. However, there is still a need for due diligence- researching and monitoring these new technologies and asking the right questions of the vendors, knowing the clients and what their needs are all make it just that little bit easier. 

There is also a need to look at other health services and understand:

• if they are using that technology

• what were their key lessons learnt?

• did the technology meet their expectations? 

• were any necessary integrations seamless?

• how did those clinicians adopt and adapt in those health services?

Making the clinicians’ workflow faster, easier and smoother should be a priority and the selling point to the clients. Once again, peer-to-peer word-of-mouth communication is very effective in driving adoption. Having leadership on board can also aid the process with a top-down approach, facilitating those robust pre-implementation conversations to find those key pain points. 

Clinicians are becoming increasingly accepting of systems due to constant change, and that can be a real positive as they’re adaptable and often savvy with picking up new tech. But unfortunately, it comes with that double-edged sword, as it may cause change fatigue. A good way to mitigate this is to think of everything upfront as much as possible so that they have the necessary support throughout the implementation. 

How to Successfully Transition Out of the Hypercare Stage

The peer-to-peer relationship is an extremely underrated tool that we need to take advantage of because, typically, vendors have all this data, tools and training collateral and have people that are spending time with them. However, clinicians can be very hostile toward the adoption, as such, when they have someone that they work very closely with, especially someone that they respect, they are more likely to embrace this new tech. 

Interestingly, when that person flips over from being very negative and wants to dabble in it a little bit, they often become some of the most successful and provide a lot of feedback. Having a really engaged doctor facilitates a trickling effect.  Strive for a collaborative relationship and a collaborative response. Once you’re able to establish that with the doctors, then it’s happy days going forward. 

Getting out there, getting amongst it, empowering the clinicians and empowering their decision-making gets the ball rolling and starts an amazing impetus because word will get out, and it truly makes a difference to the adoption.

Final Thoughts 

With all this new technology being introduced, it’s getting better but also a lot more complicated. These tools were created to make clinicians’ lives a lot better and reduce burnout, but in reality, sometimes, they actually do the opposite. So, we must consider what can be done to make the tools useful in a way for the doctors to actually use them for the purpose they were designed for.

_{Source talkinghealthtech.com}