546 - Implementing Digital Health Solutions: Winning Over Clinicians and Leaders

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Silvia Fazekas and Tracy Pemberton from Miller Blue Group about the critical role of change management in the successful implementation of digital health technology.

Drawing on nearly two decades of practical experience in Australian healthcare and digital transformation, Sylvia and Tracy share their perspectives on the people side of tech projects, the importance of user engagement, and the need for ongoing support beyond the initial rollout.

The conversation covers strategies for ensuring benefits realisation, managing stakeholders at all levels, and the concept of "enthusiasm as a service" to drive adoption of digital solutions in complex healthcare environments.

Key Takeaways

🤝 Change management is essential in digital health implementations because technology alone does not deliver benefits—people and processes are key.

👩‍⚕️ Healthcare environments are complicated, and technology is often not the top priority for clinicians dealing with immediate patient care.

🏥 Understanding clinical context, including terminology and frontline pressures, is crucial for effective change management.

➕ Implementation support should go beyond emails and documentation, providing hands-on, in-context assistance and follow-up to ensure new systems embed successfully.

🗣️ Engaging everyone, from frontline clinicians to executive leadership, is important for successful adoption. Senior leaders should understand and even use the systems being implemented.

💰 Change management is often under-resourced in budgets, yet ongoing user support is necessary to realise the full benefits of digital transformation.

🫂 Peer-to-peer support among users and visibility of improvements based on user feedback can significantly increase engagement and buy-in.

🗨️ Users are encouraged to engage with change teams, provide feedback, and approach new systems with an open mind to maximise productivity gains and improve patient care.

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.

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