Physicians and Specialists Adopting Digital and Mobile in Record Numbers

A recent survey released by Knowledge Networks shows that healthcare providers are readily adopting electronic health records and other digital technologies, including mobile. One of the key takeaways from the research, as noted by Jim Vielee, Senior Vice President at Knowledge Networks, is that “marketers must adjust to the needs of plugged-in, increasingly busy doctors in everything they do – from the platforms they use for messaging to the time they expect to have with prescribers.” Shortly after this survey was released, Spyglass Consulting Group reported another exciting study regarding physician communications:

• 94 percent of physicians are using smartphones to communicate, manage personal and business workflows, and access medical information.
  • Physicians are showing a clear preference for using the Apple iPhone (44 percent) over the RIM Blackberry (25 percent)
• 78 percent of physicians interviewed were experiencing difficulties accessing and communicating with colleagues in a timely manner.
  • Physicians report they are overwhelmed by the daily volume of communications received from colleagues, care team members, and patients
• 56 percent of physicians interviewed were concerned about lack of standardized processes for transitioning care between colleagues.
  • Patient hand-off process used by hospital-based physicians and the patient referral process used by community-based physicians are informal and ad hoc which can introduce medical errors into the patient care process.

How does this affect healthcare marketing?

According to Jim Vielee “Health care professionals are embracing new technologies that promise more control and convenience; we cannot help but see a connection between the use of smartphones for e-detailing and an anticipated drop in time spent with sales reps. These trends seem destined to magnify as health care reform takes effect, creating dramatic upswings in doctors’ case loads.”

A closer look at the data

This table shows the Knowledge Networks data that PCPs and specialists are actively seeking convenience and control

	PCPs		Specialists
	2010	2008	2010	2008
Using electronic records	50%	38%	52%	42%
Expect to decrease sales rep time	14%	9%	12%	8%
Own smartphone	55%	–	62%	–
Use smartphone for e-detailing*	17%	–	18%	–
Use smartphone for surveys*	29%	–	24%	–

And as they find information online, they are turning less and less to sales reps. According to Knowledge Networks:

• 12 percent of specialists and 14 percent of PCPs said they expect to decrease the amount of time they spend with pharmaceutical sales reps in the next six months.
• 17% of PCPs and 18% of specialists who have smartphones are using them for e-detailing and higher proportions
• 29% of PCPs and 24% of specialists use them to participate in on-line surveys

Opportunities for healthcare marketers

While the data clearly shows that initiating and/or extending campaigns into the digital and mobile realms will increase impressions, engagement is another challenge. What providers need are help, support, and clarity, and also consistency of messaging across sales forces, print, and online media.

Related posts:

1. Trends for Mobile Applications (and their stores)
2. Consumers Rely More on Social Media. Marketers Beware.
3. Pharma Marketers Battle New Challenges In This Mobile Information Age
4. How Healthcare can Benefit from Mobile and mHealth
5. The Future of Healthcare Marketing is Digital