A Window of Opportunity: Radical Versus Repurposing Innovation Under Conditions of Environmental Uncertainty and Crisis.

In this article, we extend the innovation literature by examining how firms respond to crisis, specifically exogenous crises. At their early onset, crises may represent a window of opportunity for innovation, but it is not equally allocated across firms. We created a unique database of 636 biopharmaceutical firms, from 24 countries and territories, developing innovative treatments during the early outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis to study this phenomenon. We found that firms acted strategically to the shifting external environment and attempted to capitalize on the opportunity by pursuing different but complementary innovation strategies (i.e., radical versus repurposed). The successful outcome of a chosen strategy was highly dependent upon a firm's accumulated knowledge resources, which varied in degree of diversity (i.e., homogeneous versus heterogeneous). We found that firms with more focused R&D (i.e., homogeneous knowledge) developed more radical innovations, whereas firms with more diverse R&D (i.e., heterogeneous knowledge) repurposed innovations. We controlled for firm size (small versus large), firm age (startup versus mature), and country classification (developing versus emerging). We also controlled for a firm's prior knowledge and expertise in coronavirus research and found that it did not influence innovation. Our results suggest that this unique period of environmental uncertainty and crisis created a window of opportunity and a level playing field for innovation.

Sampling of healthcare professionals' perspective on point-of-care technologies from 2019-2021: A survey of benefits, concerns, and development.

Point-of-care technology (POCT) plays a vital role in modern healthcare by providing a fast diagnosis, improving patient management, and extending healthcare access to remote and resource-limited areas. The objective of this study was to understand how healthcare professionals in the United States perceived POCTs during 2019-2021 to assess the decision-making process of implementing these newer technologies into everyday practice. A 5-point Likert scale survey was sent to respondents to evaluate their perceptions of benefits, concerns, characteristics, and development of point-of-care technologies. The 2021 survey was distributed November 1st, 2021- February 15th, 2022, with a total of 168 independent survey responses received. Of the respondents, 59% identified as male, 73% were white, and 48% have been in practice for over 20 years. The results showed that most agreed that POCTs improve patient management (94%) and improve clinician confidence in decision making (92%). Healthcare professionals were most concerned with potentially not being reimbursed for the cost of the POCT (37%). When asked to rank the top 3 important characteristics of POCT, respondents chose accuracy, ease of use, and availability. It is important to note this survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve an even greater representation of healthcare professionals' point of view on POCTs, further work to obtain responses from a larger, more diverse population of providers is needed.

2021 Patient Preferences for Point of Care Testing Survey: More Acceptance and Less Concern.

BACKGROUND: The evolving opinions of our community members provide insights into how end-users perceive the value and identify key point-of-care test (POCT) characteristics. METHODS: We deployed our validated 45-item English-language survey to uncompensated volunteers and compared the results from 1264 respondents in 2021 with those obtained in 2020. RESULTS: Average responses for items regarding the benefits of POCTs demonstrated that the 2021 respondents indicated agreement with all 14 potential benefits. Average responses for items regarding concerns were distinctly different from those for benefits. The only concern item that scored in the agree range was "not having insurance coverage for POCTs." Average responses to the other 13 concern items were in the disagree range. For 8 of these items, the magnitude of disagreement was greater in the 2021 survey than was observed for the 2020 survey. Differences in POCT exposure over time and by US regions suggest that higher levels of exposure to POCTs in the East are associated with stronger public support. CONCLUSIONS: Community members strongly support the development of accurate, convenient, easy-to-use, affordable, equitably available, in-home POCTs that produce immediate results. This empowers patients and home caregivers to diagnose, manage, enhance their adherence to medical treatments, and more efficiently engage their physicians.

COVID-19: a gray swan's impact on the adoption of novel medical technologies.

The COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique context and opportunity to investigate changes in healthcare professional perceptions towards the adoption of novel medical technologies, such as point-of-care technologies (POCTs). POCTs are a nascent technology that has experienced rapid growth as a result of COVID-19 due to their ability to increase healthcare accessibility via near-patient delivery, including at-home. We surveyed healthcare professionals before and during COVID-19 to explore whether the pandemic altered their perceptions about the usefulness of POCTs. Our network analysis method provided a structure for understanding this changing phenomenon. We uncovered that POCTs are not only useful for diagnosing COVID-19, but healthcare professionals also perceive them as increasingly important for diagnosing other diseases, such as cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory, and metabolic diseases. Healthcare professionals also viewed POCTs as facilitating the humanization of epidemiology by improving disease management/monitoring and strengthening the clinician-patient relationship. As the accuracy and integration of these technologies into mainstream healthcare delivery improves, hurdles to their adoption dissipate, thereby encouraging healthcare professionals to rely upon them more frequently to diagnose, manage, and monitor diseases. The technological advances made in POCTs during COVID-19, combined with shifting positive perceptions of their utility by healthcare professionals, may better prepare us for the next pandemic.

Understanding Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on Point-of-Care Testing.

Point-of-care testing (POCT) is an emerging technology that provides crucial assistance in delivering healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the accelerated importance of POCT technology due to its in-home accessibility. While POCT use and implementation has increased, little research has been published about how healthcare professionals perceive these technologies. The objective of our study was to examine the current perspectives of healthcare professionals towards POCT. We surveyed healthcare professionals to quantify perceptions of POCT usage, adoption, benefits, and concerns between October 2020 and November 2020. Questions regarding POCT perception were assessed on a 5-point Likert Scale. We received a total of 287 survey responses. Of the respondents, 53.7% were male, 66.6% were white, and 30.7% have been in practice for over 20 years. We found that the most supported benefit was POCTs ability to improve patient management (92%) and that the most supported concern was that POCTs lead to over-testing (30%). This study provides a better understanding of healthcare workers' perspectives on POCT. To improve patient outcomes through the usage of POCT, greater research is needed to assess the needs and concerns of industry and healthcare stakeholders.

A multi-institutional partnership catalyzing the commercialization of medical devices and biotechnology products.

The commercialization of medical devices and biotechnology products is characterized by high failure rates and long development lead times particularly among start-up enterprises. To increase the success rate of these high-risk ventures, the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) and University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) partnered to create key academic support centers with programs to accelerate entrepreneurship and innovation in this industry. In 2008, UML and UMMS founded the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2), which is a business and technology incubator that provides business planning, product prototyping, laboratory services, access to clinical testing, and ecosystem networking to medical device and biotech start-up firms. M2D2 has three physical locations that encompass approximately 40,000 square feet. Recently, M2D2 leveraged these resources to expand into new areas such as health security, point of care technologies for heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders, and rapid diagnostics to detect SARS-CoV-2. Since its inception, M2D2 has vetted approximately 260 medical device and biotech start-up companies for inclusion in its programs and provided active support to more than 80 firms. This manuscript describes how two UMass campuses leveraged institutional, state, and Federal resources to create a thriving entrepreneurial environment for medical device and biotech companies.

The RADx Tech Clinical Studies Core: A Model for Academic Based Clinical Studies.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADxSM) Tech initiative to support the development and commercialization of novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) point-of-care test devices. The primary objective of the Clinical Studies Core (CSC) was to perform SARS-CoV-2 device studies involving diverse populations and settings. Within a few months, the infrastructure for clinical studies was developed, including a master protocol, digital study platform, data management system, single IRB, and multi-site partnerships. Data from some studies are being used to support Emergency Use Authorization of novel SARS-CoV-2 test devices. The CSC reduced the typical time and cost of developing medical devices and highlighted the impactful role of academic and NIH partnership in addressing public health needs at a rapid pace during a global pandemic. The structure, deployment, and lessons learned from this experience are widely applicable to future in vitro diagnostic device clinical studies.

Point-of-care testing, your cardiologist, and affairs of the heart.

Background: Point-of-care testing (POCT) has applications across medical specialties and holds promise to improve patient care. While cardiovascular medicine has been attractive for POCT applications in recent years, little is known about how cardiovascular health professionals perceive them. Objective: The objective of our study was to examine differences in perceptions and attitudes towards POCTs between cardiovascular health professionals compared to other healthcare professionals. Methods: We surveyed healthcare professionals to assess perceptions of POCT usage and their benefits and concerns between October 2019 and March 2020. Questions regarding POCT perceptions were assessed on a 5-point Likert scale. Results: We received a total of 148 survey responses; of the responders, 52% were male, 59% were physicians, and 50% worked in a hospital setting. We found that cardiology professionals were less likely, compared to other specialties, to view POCTs as improving patient management or reducing errors. These cardiology professionals were not constrained by resources or a lack of investment opportunities to implement these technologies. Conclusion: This study provides a better understanding of perceptions about POCTs among healthcare specialists. To improve patient outcomes through the adoption and usage of POCTs, greater collaboration is advised among key industry and healthcare stakeholders.

New Opportunities and Cautionary Insights about Decentralizing and Deglobalizing Clinical Trials During the Great Lockdown.

The 2020s began with a rare coronavirus (COVID-19) disaster, which led to a pandemic-induced recession and Great Lockdown. In response, there has been a worldwide mobilization of resources to detect, treat, and cure the virus. Some policymakers are advocating for the repatriation of globally distributed healthcare know-how. Without a cure for COVID-19, the ambiguity concerning how coronavirus-related policies will impact international business remains unclear. Through a multi-method approach, our study sheds light on two key healthcare industry trends: decentralization and deglobalization of clinical trials. We offer actionable strategies to not only mitigate these challenges, but also to take advantage of their new opportunities.

Patient Preferences for Point-of-Care Testing: Survey Validation and Results.

BACKGROUND: Studies of current opinion of our community members for the characteristics, mode, and location of use, use cases, and overall enthusiasm for point-of-care testing (POCT) diagnosis and management tools are needed. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Qualitative research methods were used to develop, refine, and evaluate hardcopy and electronic versions of a 45-item English language survey. The accuracy of the instrument was measured by recorded structured interview, and its precision was measured by comparison to its administration to a group of uncompensated volunteers. MAIN FINDINGS AND RESULTS: Comparison of survey and structured interview data demonstrated high levels of accuracy. Highly concordant with significant levels of correlation and of direct association indicated favorable precision. Ninety-three percent of respondents believed that POCT could improve their care, and 56% identified having a POCT in their home as a top priority. Accuracy, insurance coverage, immediacy of results, and ease of use were identified as the most important characteristics of a POCT. CONCLUSIONS: Community members strongly support the development of accurate, in-home devices that produce immediate results that can be used to diagnose, manage, and encourage their adherence to treatments for their medical conditions.

Point-of-care technologies in heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders from the Center for Advancing Point-of-Care Technologies.

Recent advancements in point-of-care technologies have transformed care for patients with heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders by providing rapid, cost-effective, and accessible solutions to challenges in the detection and management of many health conditions. However, major barriers exist throughout the technology development process that inhibit the actualization of many promising and potentially successful ideas. The Center for Advancing Point of Care Technologies has established a system for supporting further innovation in this field and bridging the gap between initial idea conception and implementation. We highlight current and emerging point-of-care technologies throughout the development spectrum and emphasize the need for a needs-driven model of health technology development that involve appropriate stakeholders in the process.