To help us understand a little about how doctors source information online, perhaps we should think about how they obtain information and where from – by drawing a straight parallel with consumer shopping habits. 

First off, we don’t all shop in the same store, otherwise there’d be only one, and that would be boring! We also don’t shop in the same size store; some prefer mega-markets and malls where you can buy everything from a packet of biscuits to a new TV, some prefer a corner or specialist shop where you know you’ll get very specialised advice and personal service. 

EPG’s study examining how physicians access content online indicates that a doctors online ‘information’ shopping habits aren’t that different to our consumer ones.

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According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the first known use of the word 'miscommunication' (failure to communicate clearly) was in 1964. By coincidence (?) this was the year after David Ogilvy published "Confessions of an advertising man"; the book attibuted as the original source for the quote -

'Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.'

The latest study by EPG Health Media, 'The Pharma Agency Relationship' reveals some alarming disparities regarding each party's view of the other and perhaps most surprisingly, the way they communicate with (and about) each other.

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It’s pretty hard to imagine in today’s economic environment that a business manager, any business manager, would be unsure which parts of their spend brought the best return or indeed what impact the spend had at all. But in Pharma there does appear to be a significant blind spot when it comes to digital marketing and communications spend. Either in general or vis a vis competitors, the impact of that spend in terms of return on investment or effectiveness remains a mystery to many, the majority in fact.

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A 2009 survey (by Manhattan Research) on physician smartphone use found that 64% of US physicians owned a smartphone. The study further predicted that by 2012 the proportion of smartphone owners would increase to 81%.

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To build a great brand and online experience for customers, many marketers will focus on the creation of websites either for promotion or to educate their audience, this often forms the cornerstone of digital strategy and plays a significant role in building both the brand and the online experience for customers.

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How do healthcare professionals (HCPs) use mobile phones and how do mobile phones influence HCPs in practice?

EPG Health Media have recently conducted an online market research survey (translated into 5 languages) with its healthcare professional members in UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, US.

We are excited about sharing the valuable findings with the wider healthcare industry.

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I recently came back from ExL Pharma’s Digital Pharma Europe meeting and ‘unconference’ in Berlin. The whole meeting was focused on social media and its role in health communications and marketing. Naturally, it was tweet-tastic (#digpharm)!

It was there that we published our market research report ‘Social Media and Healthcare’. The report shows how doctors, patients/consumers and pharma engage (and seek to engage) with each other. Importantly, this helps us understand the potential for future change in terms of the use of social media in relation to health.

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Whenever you hear someone from Pharma talk about healthcare in China, you're sure to hear the phrase 'emerging market'. Within the industry there has been a Klondike style gold rush running for several years.

Without question, in established markets such as EU big five and North America - as product pipelines constrict and marketing authorisation expiry appears on the horizon for some of the traditional cash cows - the wagon train heading east has gathered pace.

The commercial reality is that these particular prospectors have needed more than a gold pan and luck. Heavy investment in manufacturing and sales infrastructure, running into hundreds or thousands of millions of Euros has been the pre-requisite.

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In our last blog we talked about which information channels (including non digital) have most influence over physician behaviour and why. As promised we've followed the study that drove that piece with a similar activity targeting patients visiting EPG Health Media's patient portal www.epgpatientdirect.org

To obtain a free copy of the survey results contact us here

The differentiator between this study and the plethora of previous consumer surveys being that we asked consumers not only where they go for health information, but what sources they trust.

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In our last blog we talked about how EPG Health Media - as a digital publisher and communications business - had received a timely reminder [link to earlier blog] on the type of content healthcare professionals seek in the digital environment, in particular we learnt not just what they look for online, but what they engage with.

That’s all fascinating stuff if you’re a digital convert (as most of us are), but from a marketeers point of view - What’s the end game here?

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