#Education 14. Aug 2020

KOLs, influence and education: conventional ways are not enough in today’s world

#KOOL is an initiative that combines two concepts: key opinion leaders (KOL) and online advocacy. Let’s start by looking at both words: KOL & influence.

KOL – a Key Opinion Leader is “a person or organization who has expert knowledge and influence in a respective field. They are trusted by relevant interest groups and have significant effects on peer behavior.”

INFLUENCE is “the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways.”

The etymology of the word influence can be found in the Latin influere “to flow into”—a word that originally referred to a celestial fluid that was thought to flow from the stars. Think of a flow where every single entity goes in the same direction. Like millions and trillions of water molecules flowing together in the same direction. The word influenza has the same origin and, not surprisingly, the common flu virus can quickly spread throughout a community until almost everyone is infected.

Let’s look at how influence plays a role in the animal kingdom. We’ve all seen the flocks of birds flying together...the underlying mechanism is that each individual bird flies in the same direction as its neighbors, and this local tendency gives rise to a coherent moving flock. Finally, one bird decides to sit on a wire, and all the others follow.

And humans? Of course, we are also influenced by the behavior of our neighbors – just like birds and fireflies. Every parent has seen how their kids imitate what they say, often using the same words, expressions, tone. Sometimes they can even be confused with their parents on the phone. Not only do we react to others’ influence over us—we also actively seek out others for influence. Think about when you have moved to a new town and need a doctor. You probably asked someone you trusted for a name... also known as “word of mouth.” When you finished watching the last season of your favorite Netflix series, chances are you asked a friend to suggest the next series you should start during that cold rainy weekend (or you looked up Netflix’s recommendations for shows you might like). It also happens that when someone we trust, whether online or in person, tells us of a great experience — whether it’s the latest restaurant they’ve been to, or a new fashion item—this information very likely will influence our behavior.

“Clinical influence” – why is this important in the clinical practice world?

Think of yourself—or any other dentist. You are in your clinic with your patient sitting in the chair and you are about to decide the treatment for him or her. For this particular case, you will consider what science has shown to be the best approach (scientific evidence). Some approaches are not yet proven scientifically, but many practitioners are experiencing positive results (clinical practice). You will also consider how renowned experts approach such cases and what their recommendations are (KOLs). Finally, you will recall your own experience with comparable cases. With all that knowledge, you will decide which treatment approach or treatment plan to follow. A similar thought process will guide how you organize your clinic, interact with your current patients, attract new ones or select which equipment and tools to use.

Education in today’s dental world

Education is what has developed us as a society. We rely not only on what each of us learn during our lifetime. We also learn the knowledge that society has gained so far on a topic—dentistry in our case—and further grow the knowledge from there: science, clinical practice, experience from renowned experts and our own personal experience. Traditionally, we find this knowledge at scientific congresses and events, by taking courses or directly from scientific publications. But today’s world of dentistry is characterized by three terms: Young - Digital - Women. Congresses are no longer the one and only source of information, experience, and exchange. The younger generation has new habits, which are rooted in living in their other world: the digital one. There is also the increasing role of women, as the younger generations in dentistry include an increasing percentage of female professionals. And the vast majority of private practitioners—especially the younger ones—when they do not physically attend congresses, courses or read publications, they go online.

Conventional is not enough!

We have on one side the KOL management that we all know: a trusted source, high quality content, shared by respected clinicians and renowned experts. On the other, we have the digital world, which is fast paced; it is real, authentic and easily accessible for everyone.

Being present at a scientific event with a conventional booth.. .is not enough for a market leader. You probably noticed that Straumann’s presence at physical events has changed dramatically in the past couple of years. Straumann booths have been transformed into arenas of live interviews with experts on scientific and clinical topics sharing their tips and tricks. The interviewers? Our medical team, the scientists and clinicians back at our corporate offices.