Tuttlingen - "There are many more solutions than most are aware of," says Heike Krüger from Metecon-DigiLab: In her keynote speech at the first information market of possibilities on October 6th in Tuttlingen, the expert gives an overview of what digitization is for medical technology can do - and tips in advance on how companies can best approach the topic.
Heike Krüger sees himself as a "digital translator". On the one hand medical technology companies with their needs for quality management and regulatory affairs - on the other hand the IT and software providers with solutions. In between: often a communicative gap, what one needs and the other is able to provide. "We want to build bridges," she says, outlining Metecon-DigiLab's concern to support companies on a neutral basis in the search for suitable tools and their implantation. Heike Krüger and her team have compared a number of solutions for this over the past few years. And during this time I have gained just as much experience as to what a goal-oriented digitization strategy in medical technology can look like.
The first step, says Heike Krüger, "is to make it clear what you want to achieve". Analyzing processes and identifying areas where there are problems - i.e. those "pain points" that cost unnecessary time and money or even lead to employees resigning. This is where the binary lever comes in. With input, as conveyed at the information market of possibilities, and the involvement of all internal stakeholders, the next step is a specification sheet including a roadmap. However, it can happen that those responsible become too euphoric or resigned. "You go too deep right away or you don't even start," says Heike Krüger from her experience. Both can be avoided "if the large mountain of problems is broken down into manageable packages". This means: it is better to start with a suitably tailored individual solution, expand it flexibly, and then, above all, stick with it. "Digitization is not a short-distance run," she reminds us.
The fact that the workload is reduced and efficiency increased, that employees can finally concentrate on their actual expertise again is a result of using the right tools. In the longer term, however, there are other positive effects. “Those who digitize now will find it easier to take the next step,” says Heike Krüger. And in her opinion, this clearly leads to the use of artificial intelligence. The use of modern technologies attracts employees and changes the entire mindset: More than ever, it is about taking the whole team with you and letting them become an active part of the transformation. All in all, digitization lays a building block for the future - if not the building block par excellence, Heike Krüger estimates. "From my point of view, there is no alternative."
The first information market of the possibilities for digital solutions for the areas of quality management and regulatory affairs starts on October 6th at 09:30 a.m. in the Tuttlingen town hall. Further information and registration at https://medicalmountains.de/infomarkt.
