If Patients Won't Use It, It Won't Help

Clinical efficacy doesn't matter if the patient won't use the device.

In this episode of Med Tech Gurus, we sit down with Anat Shani, biomedical engineer and CEO of Synchrony Medical, to explore a critical but often overlooked truth in MedTech: adherence is everything.

Anat led the development of Liberty, a patient-centered airway clearance device designed to help individuals with chronic respiratory conditions manage mucus buildup and reduce infection risk—all from home. What makes this story unique is not just the speed to market—FDA authorization and commercialization in under five years—but the relentless focus on real-world usability.

We dive into why many clinically effective respiratory devices fail in practice, how patient feedback reshaped Liberty's design from day one, and why comfort, simplicity, and workflow integration must be engineered—not added later. From iterative prototyping with patients to refining even the language used in instructions, Anat shares how small design decisions can drive massive differences in outcomes.

We also explore the realities of launching in the U.S. market, aligning messaging across stakeholders, and building a lean, disciplined team that can move quickly without losing focus.

For MedTech founders and innovators, this episode delivers a powerful message: the best product isn't the most advanced—it's the one patients actually use.

If you're interested in respiratory care, home healthcare devices, patient adherence, MedTech design, digital health, or medical device commercialization, this episode offers a practical playbook for building products that succeed beyond the clinical trial.