Building Trust in Healthcare Technology: The Clinician’s Perspective - by Dr Jennie Byrne, MD, PhD
By Light-it, in collaboration with by Dr Jennie Byrne,MD, PhD - Advisor focusing on Healthcare, Best-Selling Author and Psychiatrist
Why trust matters in healthtech
It is easy to imagine the pressure that a surgeon or an emergency room nurse faces daily. However, pressure is not unique to the ER, the OR, or intensive care. Clinicians - doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc - all operate under tremendous internal pressure. We are trained that perfection isn’t just an ideal – it’s an expectation. We believe that our professional identity, reputation, and license demand personal excellence 100% of the time. This creates a unique relationship with technology. Adopting health tech as a clinician is a risk that could potentially impact patient safety, professional standing, or even our own careers.
As a clinician, the stakes are high. In my 20+ year career as a practicing physician, if (or more accurately - when) I make a mistake, I literally could kill someone. Every day, every click, I’m making endless decisions, any one of which could be really harmful to another human being in my care.
The consequences of technology failures in healthcare aren’t merely inconvenient – they can be catastrophic. Unlike professionals in other industries, where mistakes might result in lost revenue or customer dissatisfaction, clinician mistakes lead to human cost. In addition to the potential harm to the patient, a clinician’s mistake can lead to potential license revocation. If a clinician loses their license, it effectively ends a career representing decades of training and dedication.
The trust gap in healthcare technology
Healthcare technology companies often misunderstand clinicians’ hesitancy about new solutions. What appears as resistance or stubbornness is actually a well-founded caution.
Standard technology metrics like “90% accuracy” take on entirely different meanings in healthcare. If I see 100 patients per week and the health tech product is 90% accurate, that is 10 patients per week that I am potentially harming. Guess what? That’s more than enough to lose my license over.
Practical strategies to build clinician trust
For technology companies seeking to earn clinicians’ trust, I recommend several pragmatic approaches:
1. Experience clinical reality firsthand
Stop surveying clinicians. Get on an airplane or get in the car. Find a clinician who will let you observe them for the day or hospital, and shadow them. Shut up and observe and use active listening skills. This immersive approach yields deeper insights than endless surveys. You will gain more from one day of observation than you would from surveying 10,000 physicians.
2. Master clinical language
Using appropriate terminology demonstrates respect and preparation. Working as a healthtech advisor, I’ve observed product teams use corporate lingo or tech lingo when speaking with clinicians. Don’t do that. When you fail to use clinical lingo, you automatically demonstrate that you haven’t done your homework, and you don’t have empathy.
3. Leverage education as trust-building
Clinicians are lifelong learners by training and nature. I emphasize to my health tech clients that one of the smartest ways to build trust with clinicians is through education. We have achieved at many years of school, and we are lifelong learners. Technology companies can create educational resources that help clinicians understand not just how to use a product, but why it matters and how it fits within evidence-based practice.
4. Mobilize peer advocates
Nothing builds trust like peer recommendation. I have seen the most successful health tech products use per “champions” to build their user base. A skeptic who uses your product and becomes your champion is the best salesperson you will ever have.
5. Balance data with storytelling
I have seen many health tech PowerPoint presentations that are beautiful and thoughtful, but completely ineffective when communicating with clinicians. Yes, clinicians rationally learn from facts and figures, but clinical storytelling is what really engages with their heart and their desire to heal other humans.
The future of healthcare technology trust
As AI and other advanced technologies enter healthcare, trust becomes even more critical. In my own clinical practice, I’ve already noticed that I inherently trust some AI tools more than others.
For example, I have started using AI search to find the latest evidence on a new psychiatric medication. I notice that AI tools that link to trusted medical sources build more confidence for me than those that operate as black boxes. It is difficult for me to trust ChatGPT because it doesn’t show me the references back to the initial source. However, if I use AI on platforms that link me back to articles in PubMed (like Doximity or OpenEvidence), I trust this AI search and summary more. I am familiar with PubMed from my training days, so the connection to the trusted source creates a “halo of trust’ for the newer AI technology.
The most successful healthcare technologies will be those that augment – rather than replace – clinical judgment. I advocate for a simple principle: Let the robots do the robot work, and let the humans do the human work. Technology should create space for clinicians to practice as healers, focusing on human connection while automation handles routine tasks.
By respecting clinicians’ expertise, acknowledging their concerns, and building technology that genuinely addresses healthcare challenges, we can create a future where trust flows naturally between clinicians and technology – ultimately benefiting the patients who need them both.
Written by: Dr Jennie Byrne,MD, PhD - Advisor focusing on Healthcare, Best-Selling Author and Psychiatrist
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