We sat down with Senior Product Manager Abhinav Bandi to discuss his move into product management, balancing new features with the wider implications of those changes and overcoming the challenges of working in healthcare.
“One thing I’ve always believed is that you don’t necessarily need to make big, complex changes to make a real difference. Sometimes, a small improvement to a screen or a workflow can make a clinician’s day much easier.”
Abhinav Bandi, Senior Product Manager
Can you tell us a bit more about your background before joining Feedback Medical?
Before joining Feedback Medical, I spent most of my career bringing together software development, business analysis, and health technology.
I started my career as a Software Developer at NHS Wales, where I gained valuable experience in software development and saw how technology operates in a real healthcare environment. I then moved to Williams Medical, working across business analysis and web development. That experience helped me understand the importance of looking beyond the technical solution and really understanding the business needs and the people using the product. After that, I worked as a Software Integrations Consultant, which helped me learn more about how different systems connect and how important reliable, seamless technology is in healthcare.
Each role gave me a different perspective, from building software and understanding problems to seeing the bigger picture.
What brought you to product management?
My move into product management came as a bit of a surprise. During the challenging COVID period, I was working as an Integrations Consultant when a recruiter approached me about a Technical Product Owner role at Feedback Medical.
The role was described as a bridge between stakeholders and the development team, which really caught my interest. I liked the idea of being involved not just in building solutions, but also in understanding the problems behind them, so I decided to give it a go. Since then, it’s been quite a journey.
I started as a Technical Product Owner, moved into a Technical Product Manager role, and now I’m a Senior Product Manager. Each step has given me the chance to learn something new, take on more responsibility, and get involved in more of the product’s journey.
It’s been a gradual journey of learning and growing, and I’ve really enjoyed every stage of it.
What started as an opportunity I hadn’t planned for has become something I genuinely enjoy. I love bringing people, technology, and business together to solve problems and build products that make a real difference in healthcare.
Can you share a recent project you’re particularly proud of, and the difference it made for clinicians or patients?
One thing I’ve always believed is that you don’t necessarily need to make big, complex changes to make a real difference. Sometimes, a small improvement to a screen or a workflow can make a clinician’s day much easier.
That’s the kind of product thinking I value: noticing everyday frustrations and finding simple, practical ways to solve them. One recent project I’m particularly proud of is the integration of eRS with Bleepa.
Previously, clinicians and care coordinators often had to switch between multiple systems to manage different stages of a patient’s journey, from referrals and appointments to pathway management.
This made the process more tedious and fragmented, with patient information and tasks spread across different systems. By integrating eRS into Bleepa, we brought more of this process into one place, allowing clinicians to manage more of the patient’s journey without constantly switching between systems.
The difference this makes to the patient’s journey is what makes this project particularly meaningful to me.
When referrals and the next steps in a patient’s pathway can be managed more smoothly, it’s easier to move patients through their care journey. It helps clinicians and coordinators work more efficiently and keep a clearer view of the process, rather than spending unnecessary time navigating different systems.
What have been some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned about building products in a regulated healthcare environment?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that, in healthcare, not every change that seems like a good idea is necessarily the right one to make. Patient safety, information governance, and regulatory requirements always have to be at the heart of product decisions.
You might have a feature that would improve the user experience or make a workflow more efficient, but you always need to ask whether it is safe to introduce and what the wider implications might be. For example, taking a step out of a process to make it quicker might seem like a good idea, but that step could be there for an important safety reason.
So, before making changes or improvements, it’s important to understand the wider implications.
I’ve learned how important it is to involve clinical, technical, and compliance teams early, so we can understand the risks and make informed decisions before moving forward. It’s about finding the right balance between improving the product, meeting user needs and ensuring that any change is safe and appropriate for a healthcare environment.
What metrics and insights help you understand whether a product feature is making a difference?
I start by understanding what users need and where they’re running into difficulties. I look at feedback from clinicians and customers, conversations with our sales team, what competitors are doing, the data we have available and the demand for a particular feature.
I always try to look beyond the request itself and understand the problem behind it. Just because someone asks for a feature doesn’t automatically mean it’s the right thing to build.
I think about how many users it could help, the value it could bring, and how it compares with other priorities. Once a feature is released, I like to see whether it actually solves the problem. For me, it’s not about adding more features, but making sure what we add genuinely helps our users and makes their lives a little easier.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to move into a product management role in healthcare?
My advice would be to stay curious and not worry too much about following a particular career path. My own move into product management was quite accidental. I came from a technical background, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’d say it’s really important to understand the people you’re building products for and the problems they’re trying to solve.
In healthcare, you also need to keep patient safety and regulatory requirements in mind.
Even a small change can have wider implications, so it’s important to think things through and work closely with clinical, technical, and regulatory teams. You don’t need to know everything from day one, but be willing to learn, ask questions, and listen to different perspectives. Most importantly, focus on solving real problems while always putting patient safety first.
Read the previous entries in our staff expertise blog series:
- An interview with Carrie Goldsworthy, Head of Marketing
- A chat with Kirstie Wilson, Technical Writer
- A conversation with Chief Financial Officer Emma Oswick