This week’s readings focused on access to health technologies in developing countries and the hierarchies involved in the adoption of these new products. Architecture, availability, affordability and adoption are four determinants of access that must work simultaneously to ensure success. Several “findings” were mentioned in the reading, a few of which are the following: The success of a product depends on its support by a product champion that constructs and manages the architecture of success. Product champions must also create expert consensus about health technologies. Producers in general should greatly consider users’ adoption of technologies, focus on being cost effective and employ supply side strategies to increase availability. Overall, for a technology to be successfully implemented and sustained, solid infrastructure must be present, the technology must be affordable and easily accessible, and “consumers must have the desire and knowledge to use this technology”. The latter portion of our reading looked into the individuals and organizations that play a role in influencing the adoption or refusal of new technologies. The input of hospitals, manufacturers, doctors, public regulators and private parties make sure that a product put on the market is well received.
I think that this is a sound summary of the article we read a week ago. The future of health technology in developing nations is certainly contingent upon accessibility and affordability. product champions should be able to create systems that effectively distribute affordable goods to citizens in need. In doing so, product champions will generate a more even allocation of health technology which will lead to increased numbers of healthy third world citizens.
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