It is no news that there has been a significant surge of advancements in surgery focused and surgery adjacent technologies.
Developments in the areas of Laser Surgeries, Image-Guided Procedures, Minimally Invasive Techniques, Robotics-assisted surgery, 3D printing, Nanotechnology, Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are expected to translate into a significant increase in Market Research activity related to these topics.
In parallel, a higher volume of research will exponentially increase the demand for insights from Surgeons – a key stakeholder audience.
Below we would like to share some best practices Medical Mile team and I consider important to researchers and consultants seeking to conduct market research in this area:
Understanding Surgeons’ Role:
Surgeons not only perform operations but also diagnose patient conditions and provide post-operative care. Understanding the full scope of their role can help in designing relevant research questions that drive meaningful insights.
Ethics and Regulations:
Given the sensitive nature of healthcare, it's crucial to ensure that any research conducted follows ethical guidelines and regulations. This includes being cognizant of confidentiality and ensuring that the research does not infringe on surgeons’ primary responsibility to their patients.
Methodology:
Various methods can be used and while surveys and interviews are often used to collect quantitative and qualitative data, observational studies can also be useful, especially when looking at how surgeons use specific tools or technologies.
Access / Recruiting:
Access to surgeons can be a challenge, given their demanding work schedules. It's important to be flexible and accommodating with survey timelines and scheduling interviews. Working with Healthcare Panel companies that leverage online survey platforms can be particularly useful in this context, allowing surgeons (panelists) to participate at a time that suits them.
Research Incentives / Honorarium:
Surgeons often have incredibly demanding schedules, and participating in market research might not be a top priority. Offering appropriate incentives, preferably a monetary honorarium can significantly help encourage participation. If ever in question, working with a recruiting agency (panel company) is a good way to ensure incentives / honorarium is aligned with relative Fair-Market-Values (FMVs).
Research Analysis and Reporting:
Once the data has been collected, it needs to be analyzed and reported in a way that is accessible and useful to the target audience. Offering a summary report of research findings to participants can increase interest (response rates).
Researching surgery focused topics can be a complex task that requires a thorough understanding of the surgical profession, stringent adherence to ethical guidelines, effective and respectful communication, and careful consideration of data collection methods, analysis, and reporting.
When executed properly, it can provide invaluable insights that contribute to the advancements in the exciting surgical sector.
Robert Warpas
Medical Mile Research
About Medical Mile Research:
Medical Mile Research is a Grand Rapids, MI based market research firm offering access to ~100k healthcare professionals including but not limited to Medical Executives, Administrators, and Healthcare Providers interested in providing insights related to their field and expertise via Online Surveys and Tele-depth Calls. Medical Mile Network is extensively verified and continuously curated, supporting the companies commitment to data quality and security. If interested in working with Medical Mile Research, please contact us at researchteam@medicalmileresearch.com or 616.300.1911.