Improving the clinical adoption of health technologies

"Over the past few decades, medical innovation has made great strides to improve medical management and hospital processes. However, despite such advances, challenges remain in the smooth transition of product development to a product ready for adoption in the healthcare setting."

"One way to finding the best healthcare solution for a patient is to look at global HealthTech clinical adoption rates, and examine what other countries are doing to overcome their challenges. NHIC partnered with PwC Singapore’s HealthTech team to embark on this global landscape study and to discover how to improve our clinical adoption rates of new innovative, potentially life-saving health technologies."

Professor Tina WongExecutive Director, National Health Innovation Centre Singapore

"It is unsurprising to see clinical adoption rates of HealthTech globally be as low as this report finds them to be. However, given the unlikelihood that these low rates be attributed solely to the fact that many solutions may not in fact be born of need, tasked by and in collaboration with Singapore's National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC), our PwC Singapore HealthTech team set out to not only conduct a global landscape study to quantify HealthTech clinical adoption rates but also better understand the reasons behind the numbers and the challenges that exist, both from a technology provider's as well as end user's perspective."

Dr Zubin J DaruwallaHealth Industries Leader, PwC Singapore

Recommended HealthTech clinical adoption pathway

For any individual(s), private and/or public organisations looking to set up a health technologies incubator and/or accelerator, we propose the following summarised pathway.

Engage clinicians and other healthcare professionals early
Identify problem
Validate problem
Identify existing solutions
Research and identify markets
Validate solution feasibility
Identify end user and payor

Generate solutions
Re-validate solution feasibility
Develop reimbursement strategy
Technology development
Develop proof of concept
Develop a business roadmap and commercialisation strategy:
- Identify barriers to entry
- Curate team
- Establish governance
- Develop strategic partnerships
Identify IP and potential issues
Protect idea/ solution

Education and training
Optimisation
Identify/ meet regulatory requirements
Clinical validation

Establish product ownership, distribution and supply chain channels, and after-service support
Seek active participation in testing and development within real world environments
Ensure local (and global) cybersecurity and patient privacy compliance
Commercialise

Gain medical personnel buy-in
Run pilot/clinical trials to gather real world evidence on cost/ operational effectiveness
Educate clinicians on evolving HealthTech innovation landscape
Establish a dedicated organisation to bring the ecosystem together to streamline clinical adoption, reimbursement and procurement pathways
Demonstrate health economic benefits to gain stakeholder buy-in
Evaluate clinical impact and +/- modify innovation