How to Leverage Technology to Engage HCPs

The last 24 months has seen pharmaceutical and medical device companies increase their digital HCP engagement activities with their HCPs.

While the speed of change was forced, the industry had been tracking in this direction for almost two decades. According to ZS Associates’ AccessMonitor^TM analysis of the US physicians’ market, over 50% of HCPs had reduced face time with sales reps.

This has resulted in the steady decline of the once dominant pharma field sales force since the mid-2000s.

Thus, the need for medical affairs teams to engage HCPs through digital channels has never been as important.

This article explores ways that companies can best leverage technology to maintain and develop relationships with HCPs.

Technology is an often untapped tool in the education of health care practitioners

What Technology?

Choosing the right technology will depend on your analysis of current HCP communication practices. The two main verticals to explore are:

Content > The messaging and materials given to HCPs
Channels > The technology currently being used to engage HCPs (CRMs, HCP portals etc.,)

Content

A recent Medical Affairs Digital Strategy Council (MADSC) report on the area of Digital Transformation of HCP engagement highlights quality content as a driver of HCP trust with a company and/or product.

Ensuring content is credible, accurate, and evidence-based across all channels is essential. Likewise, content design should be tailored depending on the audience.

For example, HCP compliance and regulatory training content should be created with engagement in mind. Engaging with internal and external SMEs and utilizing a mix of instructional design techniques should help achieve this. Doing so can mitigate against potential compliance headaches.

Channels

The MADSC also reported that omnichannel HCP engagement should be:

Intuitive and seamless across channels
Recognizing of user workflows, both external and internal
Optimizes the user experience through data depending on HCP interests

Successful execution could look like the following:

A centralized HCP content portal is developed based on feedback from a baseline assessment of HCPs
Upon registration, HCPs must complete a questionnaire
Content available on the portal is tagged, meaning answers from the registration questionnaire determine what content is pushed to users
When users sign up for the portal, they are also synced with the company’s CRM, alerting sales reps in real time when they engage with content
Content is available across devices
Follow up assessments are conducted quarterly, influencing portal updates

The above example may seem simple, but it incorporates the following attributes that should help drive engagement:

Human-Centred Design > HCPs can access content across devices in a seamless fashion. HCP facing representatives get access to real time information that can help them add value to HCP conversations.

Customization > The technology and content work together to ensure users have access to relevant content. Likewise, regular feedback gathering from HCPs will improve future versions of the portal and ensure user engagement is optimized.

Closing Thoughts

The ongoing pandemic means traditional face-to-face meetings will be very slow to return to pre-covid levels. As HCPs become more confident with technology, this trend will increase further.

However, successful digital engagement is an iterative process. Yes, investment in technology and content is part of the solution. However, technology and content will continue to become obsolete over time. The gathering of HCP feedback and the incorporation of that data into HCP engagement initiatives will be the hallmark of successful digital transformation.

By focusing on the human aspects of digital transformation, organizations can develop sustainable and effective digital engagement strategies. This will help them choose the correct technology stacks to continuously engage HCPs.