Product Training for Medical Device Companies

The medical device industry is always on the cusp of innovation, from kidney dialysis machines to implantable miniature telescopes. But all that progress creates a training hurdle: keeping partners and healthcare providers up to speed on how to use the latest medical device products. 

This article discusses the complexities of medical device product education, tackling challenges like helping learners with varying healthcare literacy navigate complex medical information and streamlining the onboarding experience for new partners. We’ll also talk about how medical device companies benefit from providing continuous education and the role of training software.

Key challenges in ongoing partner education

Here are three of the biggest challenges in ongoing partner education:

1. Onboarding experience of customers/partners: Getting new partners up to speed on your medical devices can be a complex process. Onboarding often involves learning a significant amount of technical information, regulatory requirements, and specific product details. This initial hurdle can overwhelm new customers and partners and delay their ability to confidently represent or use your product.
   
2. Complex medical information: Medical devices often involve advanced scientific concepts and technical specifications. Partners may need to comprehend physiological processes, disease states, and the specific mechanisms of how your device works within the body. This complex medical knowledge can be a major barrier for partners with limited healthcare backgrounds.
   
3. Varying levels of healthcare literacy: Individuals in your partner network will likely have varying degrees of healthcare literacy. Some might be seasoned medical professionals, while others may come from a sales or marketing background with minimal medical knowledge. This diversity requires educational materials and medical device training courses that cater to different experience levels.

Why continuous partner education is necessary for medical devices

Medical devices are the specialized tools and equipment used by healthcare professionals for diagnosing, treating, and monitoring patients. From pacemakers that regulate heartbeats to imaging machines that provide detailed views inside the body, these devices play a critical role in improving patient outcomes. These tools are complex and require specialized knowledge for safe and effective use. This is why continuous partner education is essential for medical devices.

Many modern medical devices include software that needs to be updated regularly to ensure safety and regulatory standards through risk management protocols and processes. The product development team is also always making adjustments based on their post-market surveillance and product design monitoring. Offering quarterly training solutions to partners ensures that they remain up-to-date, which improves quality assurance and helps set design controls for product use and maintenance. 

There's one more important aspect to consider when it comes to keeping your partners informed: regulatory compliance. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the main regulatory body. Their authority comes from the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), which dictates how devices are classified based on risk. There are stricter rules for those with a higher potential for harm. So, your partners who market or sell these devices need to be aware of the relevant FDA regulations and guidelines.

The European Union (EU) also has a robust regulatory system. The Medical Devices Regulation (MDR), implemented in May 2021, replaced the previous directives and brought stricter requirements on:

• Medical device quality
• Usability
• Validation
• Quality control
• Clinical trials
• Labeling
• Post-market surveillance
• Medical device development
• Combination products
• Device design
• Lifecycle of a device

Benefits of continuous education for medical device providers

Here are three key benefits of continuous partner education:

1. Improved outcomes and treatment adherence: When partners have a deep understanding of your devices' capabilities and proper use, they can confidently guide healthcare professionals and patients. This leads to more effective treatment plans and improved patient outcomes.
   
2. Reduced support and service costs for medical device manufacturers: Partners who are well-versed in troubleshooting and addressing common device issues can often resolve problems on the front lines, reducing the burden on your company's support and service teams.
   
3. Stronger sales and marketing efforts: Partners who are passionate advocates for your devices can be powerful allies in your sales and marketing efforts. By understanding the devices' full potential and clinical applications, they can present them more persuasively to healthcare providers, facilities, and institutions.

The role of training software in partner education

Equipping your partners with ongoing education is important, but managing and delivering medical device training programs can be a challenge. This is where training software comes in.

Skilljar is a comprehensive platform that enhances partner education for medical device companies. For example, by implementing quarterly training sessions delivered through Skilljar, you can ensure your partners and healthcare providers consistently stay informed. 

Plus, Skilljar's intuitive course builder allows you to develop informative online courses and host interactive webinars. This helps you keep partners up-to-date on your latest devices, best practices, and any product updates. The software also functions as a channel partner enablement tool, so you can notify partners about new training materials in a timely and unified manner.

Skilljar goes beyond simply delivering content. Separate partner training portals can be created with customized branding and language options to cater to your diverse partner network.

Implementing effective partner education strategies

Consider the following effective strategies when developing your partner education program:

• Needs assessment and partner segmentation: Start by conducting a thorough needs assessment to identify the specific knowledge gaps and learning styles within your partner network. Segment your partners based on factors like healthcare background and device focus. This allows you to tailor educational content and delivery methods that will resonate with each group.
• Blended learning approach: Combine the best of both worlds and use online modules delivered through training software for core knowledge dissemination. Complement this with engaging in-person workshops or regional training events for hands-on device demonstrations.
  
• Continuous content updates and feedback mechanisms: Training software helps you keep training content current by regularly updating modules with the latest advancements and product updates. Consider actively soliciting feedback from partners through post-training evaluations and implementing it for a more effective program.

Skilljar has modern training software for your partner education needs

Skilljar is a modern training software designed to empower your partner education efforts. Whether it's simplifying onboarding for new partners, catering to learners with diverse knowledge levels, introducing new products, or ensuring everyone stays up-to-date on the latest advancements, Skilljar has the functionalities to build a dynamic partner education program.

Flexibility is key. Skilljar allows you to create a blended learning approach in which eLearning modules can supplement and reduce the burden of in-person training sessions.

Get a Skilljar demo to see how our platform can help medical device companies with continuous education for partners.

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