The strongest product is not automatically the one with the longest feature list. The right system is the one that reliably supports your actual clinical images, implant systems, users and documentation requirements while making its limitations explicit. Use the following criteria in demonstrations, trials and procurement discussions.
Clinical scope
List the procedures that must be supported today and in the next two years. Distinguish actual production-ready workflows from announced modules or generic measurement tools.
Image and calibration workflow
Verify supported image formats, marker methods, error handling and whether the system makes image suitability visible before templating.
Implant library quality
Check manufacturers, models, component relationships, update process, version identity and how quickly missing systems can be added. A large number alone says little about relevance.
Procedure-specific measurements
Ask whether hip, knee and osteotomy measurements follow clinically meaningful landmarks and whether AP, lateral and long-leg views are kept separate.
Reconstruction logic
Evaluate whether the software helps assess leg length, offset, COR, alignment, resections and correction targets, not only component size.
Usability under real conditions
Test the complete workflow with representative cases and actual users. Count clicks, interruptions, unclear states and the time required to recover from a wrong step.
Reports and traceability
The final output should identify image, measurements, components, sizes, relevant screenshots, date and user. A screenshot without context is not a robust planning record.
Browser, workstation and mobile strategy
Clarify where the system runs, what is installed locally, how updates are delivered and whether tablet use is a real clinical workflow or only a scaled desktop interface.
Integration and data flow
Review import/export, PACS or DICOM requirements, account management, file transfer, report archiving and whether manual work creates avoidable privacy or transcription risks.
Security and responsibility
Ask about authentication, permissions, session controls, storage, deletion, auditability and the exact division of responsibility between provider, institution and medical user.
Regulatory and intended-use clarity
Require precise written information about intended use, classification, regional availability and limitations. Avoid marketing statements that are broader than the documented product status.
Support, onboarding and total cost
Include implementation, training, implant requests, support response, updates, interfaces, contract term and internal administration—not only the license price.
A useful trial scenario
Do not test only a perfect standard case. Use one routine case, one case with difficult anatomy, one image with a deliberate quality limitation and one implant system that is clinically important to your department. Ask two users to complete the workflow independently and compare the reports.