The medtech industry faces a unique set of L&D challenges necessitated by the safety requirements of the field and the global scope of their operations. Operating globally requires compliance with multiple regimes of strict rules that protect patient safety, while also coordinating events, trainers, and specialized equipment across continents.

To remain compliant and manage the logistics of training, medtech L&D teams tend to adopt a distributed system of country or regional training centers that can tailor training to local requirements and manage their own local operations. This distribution, however, can create serious challenges when business leaders need to get a view of global operations, compare training done in one country to training done in another, implement worldwide changes, or manage and streamline the global flow of resources and personnel.

How can medtech and other highly regulated global industries improve the infrastructure they use to manage global training? Let’s consider two areas where medtech L&D teams could generate serious return on investment (ROI) from an investment in better training management.

Standardizing Courses and Content

A Canadian classroom and a European self-paced course are, and should be, very different. But if teams around the world have different systems, formats, and processes in place for the documentation and bookkeeping of those events, that can create problems when it’s time to take a high-level comparative view of worldwide operations.

By establishing common templates and processes for recording and accessing basic information (such as learner identification, grades, and document management), it becomes easier to measure and compare operations worldwide much more quickly and easily while still leaving room for local autonomy.

Medtech training operations on a global scale with diverse subjects and requirements need a backend management structure that’s flexible and scalable, making standardizing backend data management architecture a critical area of focus.

Accessing and Leveraging Data

Capturing training data through common formats and systems is a key first step for better medtech L&D, but data isn’t very useful if it can’t be accessed and utilized. And unfortunately, medtech’s globally distributed compliance training model creates challenges in this area that need to be addressed.

When multiple teams worldwide are constructing their own technology stacks, they’re often forced to make do with poorly integrated tools. The pregenerated reports they have available routinely fail to capture the full scope and complexity of the data they’re dealing with, and things get lost in translation.

Medtech L&D teams would see major improvements in the usability of their data if they invested in integrating their technology stacks and ensuring an easy flow of data through their systems without a constant need for bespoke technical work just to pull reports.

Improved Resource Management and Tracking

Lastly, with operations on a global scale, keeping close track on the deployment and use of valuable resources is essential for making sure that medtech L&D teams are making the most of their budgets and time. Particularly for medtech training, making sure that there are enough medical devices available at facilities around the world to conduct adequate training is essential.

Medtech L&D teams would see major improvements in ROI and the ease of operations if they invested in better systems for tracking and monitoring resource use in their training operations. Having a better view of what they are using and where and when they’re used would enable more efficient use of limited resources available for training. It also might allow teams to keep fewer devices reserved for training purposes if they can be more effectively moved between training centers based on real-time needs.