Understanding Device Users: from traditional methods to social media

User involvement in medical device development is vital to help ensure the quality and safety of devices. This workshop will provide insights into the barriers to this as well as an overview of strategies to overcoming these, an accessible overview of tried and tested approaches to user involvement in the context of relevant human factors regulations and standards and guidance about determining the number of users needed for device evaluation. Increasingly social media provides a way of accessing user views that may be relevant at all stages of the device development process. An introduction to this area will be followed by a demonstration of MATCH resources in this area: the MATCH Campaign tool and the MATCH Tweetcatcher. For medical device companies in search of user requirements the advent of social media offers opportunities to reach individuals and specialist communities, and to gather business intelligence on the competition.

Presentations include:

• User involvement in medical device development;
• Human Factors Regulation in Medical Device Development;
• How many users do you need for device evaluation;
• The potential of social media to inform device development;
• Introducing the MATCH Campaign Tool and the MATCH Tweet-catcher;
• Making sense of social media data.

It will provide you with:

• An introduction to the topic of user involvement in medical device development and the importance of this work for the quality and safety of devices;
• An insight into relevant Human Factors regulations and standards for medical device development (ISO 62366/HE75);
• Models for defining the number of subjects that are needed in device evaluation;
• Studying patients' perspectives through social media;
• Tools for using social media during medical product development;
• Steps for making sense of social media data.

Who should attend:

• Industry and investors seeking informed product development decisions based on User needs assessment;
• Marketing Managers seeking to differentiate products based on cost-effectiveness;
• Sales Managers seeking to articulate the value proposition of innovative products.

Attendees will receive:

• Goodie bag;
• A complimentary copy of the MATCH Guide "Evaluating Health Devices";
• Registration for the MATCH Campaign Tool.

The course will provide you with a mix of practical skills and capabilities for reaching users and also introduce you to ways of thinking that will ensure you are able to present your findings coherently to those inside your organisation and to make the case robustly to those outside.

Dates and Venues:

1. 22nd March Nottingham Crowne Plaza
2. 26th April London Hilon Paddington
3. 24th May Nottingham Crowne Plaza
4. 21st June London Hilton Paddington
5. 27th September London Hilton Paddington
6. 25th October Nottingham Crown Plaza

Registration and Sponsorship:

Standard price £499.00 + VAT
Early bird non-member discount price £300.00 + VAT (The early bird discount will be closing on the 7th of each month the course is running)
MATCH Affiliates price £200.00 + VAT

Book a Place: Click Here!

For information on MATCH courses please contact Elizabeth Deadman at match@brunel.ac.uk