In nearly 20 years of healthcare professional (HCP) recruitment, I have lived through the nightmares of not completing projects, making last-minute concessions to meet a deadline, and seeing the same old names and faces participate repeatedly, all in the name of “innovation”. Frankly, I was waking up every day with exhaustion and questioning my enthusiasm for staying in the business of healthcare insights, as I found myself in repetitive conversations with limited opportunity to make a difference. But then, I was fortunate to discover Inlightened and their dedication to changing an outdated and broken system. Here are three ways Inlightened is innovating the future of healthcare insights.

Fresh perspectives and diverse respondents 

Stale panels and small subsets of key opinion leaders (KOLs) have become a standard in healthcare insights, and we refuse to accept that as the norm. As I continue conversations with colleagues, I am encouraged to hear that there are important pressures being placed on researchers to incorporate diverse insights. However, in practice, I am not seeing this as a driver of decision-making when it comes to recruitment.  We live in a world full of different genders, ethnicities, beliefs, all of which impact decision making when it comes to receiving or providing healthcare. Inclusivity has always been important, but unfortunately not prioritized in healthcare insights. Diversity in insights needs to become best practice and not just conversation. Inlightened’s access to more than 500,000 clinicians and healthcare professionals — made possible in part by our merger with LocumTenens.com and their credentialed clinicians of all levels, specialties, and backgrounds — is fueling gig economy growth.

Differentiated decision-makers

Bringing new stakeholders into the fold is essential to informed insights. The most exciting part of working with Inlightened is our ability to engage hard-to-find HCPs, and educate and evangelize them regarding the importance of their participation in consulting and research opportunities. As fewer physicians join the workforce, relationships with med students, residents, fellows, advanced practice providers (APPs), allied healthcare professionals (AHCPs), and support staff are more important than ever.

A lot of people ask me how a healthcare professional staffing network can stand up to traditional data collection panels. It’s a good question with a simple answer. Strong relationships built on trust and direct human contact.

Inlightened knows our HCPs’ history and their expertise, and employs a tailored approach to engagement. We understand how to target and recruit exactly who clients need for their project, instead of blasting invites to an over-saturated commodity. We are unwavering in our commitment to quality and value, for our clients and experts alike. I am beyond proud of our approach to transform collaborative innovation and insights in healthcare. 

AI to elevate, not replace

AI is all the rage, and while market research wants to be quick to adapt, it’s important to use this technology responsibly so we do not jeopardize the future of research, nor more importantly our healthcare system. It’s not about training technology to replace human responses; it’s using intelligence to refine screening and streamline direct access to real human respondents with concrete data points. By doing this we are creating efficiencies while responsibly garnering insights and being respectful of both research budgets and respondents.

I’d love to connect and hear your thoughts. For consulting or continued conversation, please contact me.

Sarah Longacre, Inlightened’s Director of Enterprise Solutions, is a veteran client relationship developer. Her extensive experience spans market research consulting, pricing, and successful execution of healthcare qualitative and quantitative MR projects. She is committed to advancing healthcare insights with a focus on innovation and excellence.