Case Study: Boston Scientific Trains 59,000 Global HCPs

According to a 2023 performance report Boston Scientific successfully engaged more than 59,000 healthcare professionals (HCPs) across 145 countries through their EDUCARE platform. In an industry where access to operating rooms is increasingly restricted and physician schedules are packed, reliance on traditional face-to-face sales meetings is no longer a scalable strategy for complex medical device adoption.

Instead of relying solely on territory managers to deliver brochures or schedule in-service days, Boston Scientific built a comprehensive digital ecosystem. By offering on-demand procedural videos, interactive training tools, and deep-dive case studies, they transformed their relationship with customers from transactional to educational. For medical device and pharma leaders, this case study illustrates the massive leverage available when you digitize your clinical knowledge.

This case study was originally published on Boston Scientific.

The Challenge

How do you train 59,000 doctors when you can't be in the room?

Scaling complex medical education has historically been a logistical nightmare for MedTech companies. The traditional model relies heavily on the "see one, do one, teach one" methodology, often facilitated by a sales representative or clinical specialist standing over a surgeon's shoulder. While effective, this model faces severe limitations that stifle growth.

• The Access Problem: Hospital systems are increasingly restricting vendor access. Getting a rep into the cath lab or OR to demonstrate a new device is harder than ever.
• The Geography Gap: There are simply not enough clinical specialists to cover every hospital in 145 countries simultaneously. Relying on physical presence creates massive disparities in care and product adoption between major urban centers and remote regions.
• The Retention Struggle: Medical procedures are complex. A single lunch-and-learn isn't enough for an HCP to master a new technique. Without on-demand reinforcement, the "forgetting curve" sets in rapidly, leading to lower device utilization or, worse, poor clinical outcomes.

Boston Scientific needed a way to decouple their educational output from their headcount. They needed to provide the same high-quality, high-fidelity training to a cardiologist in a rural clinic as they would to a department head at a major metropolitan research hospital, without flying a team of experts to both locations.

The Solution

An always-on digital academy called EDUCARE

Boston Scientific responded to these friction points by investing heavily in EDUCARE, a centralized platform designed to serve as the definitive source for professional education regarding their portfolio. Rather than treating their website as a simple repository of PDFs and Instructions for Use (IFUs), they treated education as a product in itself.

Prioritizing visual and interactive learning

Medical professionals are visual learners who operate in high-stakes, hands-on environments. Text-based manuals rarely convey the nuance required to implant a device or perform a complex scope. Boston Scientific focused on high-fidelity formats:

• Procedural Videos: They invested in video content that demonstrates techniques in real-world scenarios, allowing physicians to watch, pause, and review specific maneuvers before scrubbing in.
• Case Studies: Rather than just listing features, the platform highlights specific patient presentations and outcomes, helping doctors understand when and why to use a specific therapy, not just how.
• Interactive Tools: By moving beyond passive consumption, they created tools that allow HCPs to engage with the material, likely testing their knowledge or simulating decision-making trees.

Removing friction for global access

Crucially, the platform was built for scale. By centralizing this content, Boston Scientific ensured that a physician in Japan, Brazil, or Germany had access to the exact same standard of training as a physician in Boston. This standardization is critical for regulatory compliance and brand consistency.

The platform operates 24/7, acknowledging that HCPs rarely work 9-to-5 schedules. By making education available on-demand, they allowed physicians to engage with the brand during their downtime, between cases, on weekends, or during commutes, rather than forcing them to carve out time during clinic hours for a sales meeting.

The Results

Global engagement at massive scale

The metrics reported by Boston Scientific highlight a clear appetite for this type of self-directed professional development. By pivoting to a digital-first education strategy, they achieved reach that would be impossible through direct sales alone.

• Massive Reach: More than 59,000 healthcare professionals actively accessed the platform. That is 59,000 individuals who are now more knowledgeable about Boston Scientific products without requiring a direct sales call for every interaction.
• Global Penetration: Users accessed the content from approximately 145 countries, proving that high-quality digital education transcends language and geographic barriers.
• Behavior Change: By engaging with procedural videos and case studies, these HCPs are effectively "pre-selling" themselves on the efficacy of the devices. When a rep does visit, the conversation can start at a much higher level of technical proficiency.
• Sustainable Support: Digital education reduces the carbon footprint and financial cost associated with traveling for training, aligning with broader sustainability goals while improving operating margins.

For companies in the life sciences, the lesson is clear: If you are gating your knowledge behind a rep's schedule, you are capping your growth. Boston Scientific demonstrated that when you make world-class training accessible, the market will show up.

Next Steps

• Guide: Complete eLearning Localization Guide [Checklist]
• Strategy: Why AI Localization Unlocks Global Education at Scale
• Book your demo to start building your own HCP education academy with Qurioos.