Editor's note: Neil Weisman is executive vice president and general manager at Blue Chip Healthcare Marketing, a Northbrook, Ill., marketing company. He can be reached at nweisman@bluechipww.com. This article appeared in the October 8, 2012, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.

 

The pharmaceutical industry has long recognized the physician as the primary influencer for its products. While pharma markets its products directly to consumers, consumers cannot buy these products without a prescription from their physician. Pharma developed a sophisticated infrastructure of detail reps, thought-leader lectures and meetings, all to create loyal brand ambassadors of the physicians who are the ultimate product gatekeepers.

   

However, with the rise of the digital age, that infrastructure is crumbling. Doctors don't want to meet face-to-face with detail reps; they want their continuing education and resources online. They are acquiring smartphones and tablets at an astonishing pace and are enamored of the new capabilities these devices provide in their practice of medicine.

 

Trying to adapt  

 

Pharma has caught on to this trend and is trying to adapt as quickly as possible. However, unlike most industries that have fully integrated digital/mobile/social into their marketing campaigns over the last few years, health care, as usual, lags behind. It is heavily-regulated and slow to change. The industry must take great care to ensure that patient safety is paramount over any new technology or marketing practice that will improve speed or boost sales.

 

While new regulation regarding pharma's participation in the digital space has been slow and vague, pharma has taken its own lead and started to develop best practices on its own. It is creating new platforms of engagement for physicians, nurses and other health care professionals to educate, inform and ultimately prescribe products to patients.

 

Blue Chip Patient Recruitment recently conducted a research study (www.bcpatientrecruitment.com/white-paper) on how to use mobile health technology to build stronger connections between physicians and their patients, specifically regarding participating in clinical trials. The results show just how early mobile health technology is in its adoption in the health care industry but also point to the exciting potential of this platform to enhance the relationship between health care professionals and their patients.  

 

A quick word of background about clinical trials: Blue Chip works with pharma in the clinical development sector on investigational compounds that have not yet been approved by the FDA to be marketed to consumers. In order to receive FDA approval, pharma must conduct a series of clinical trials to prove the medication's safety and effectiveness. Clinical trials are conducted by local physicians, who must recruit patients to participate in the research study.

 

Three main factors

 

One of the biggest bottlenecks in clinical development is, not surprisingly, this very issue of patient recruitment. According to the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation, only about 10 percent of the population participates in clinical research, even though many more would qualify. The reasons for lack of clinical trial participation are many but there are three main factors:

 

  1. Negative perceptions
  2. Lack of awareness
  3. Lack of interest

In thousands of patient interviews we have conducted over the years, about 85 percent of patients say they have not participated in clinical trials but nearly 80 percent of those respondents have said that they would be open to it. If the pharmaceutical industry can find ways to improve access to and increase the credibility of participating in clinical trials, we can help close this gap between those who have participated and those who have simply expressed interest in doing so.

 

The survey we conducted interviewed patients, physicians and research coordinators (the ones largely responsible for the day-to-day operations of a trial) about their current attitudes and behaviors toward smartphones and tablets and their receptivity to using new mobile tools on these devices. All respondents needed to own either a smartphone or tablet and both physicians and coordinators had to actively be involved in clinical research.

 

There were several common trends across all three groups.

 

All three groups were using their mobile devices largely for communication (i.e., phone, text and e-mail) rather than computing (i.e., accessing the Internet or using apps). Since many respondents were older, they were also newer users who were more comfortable with the traditional communication functions of a phone versus thinking about their phone as an extension of their computer.

 

Respondents use their mobile devices less frequently for computing, especially for health-related purposes. When respondents use mobile computing for health-related purposes, it is almost always for reference or information rather than specific health care needs. For example, a patient might visit WebMD to learn more about their diabetes but they are not yet scanning their prescription barcode on a smartphone to request a refill at the pharmacy.

 

Strategically, this is significant because it is more cost-effective to inform large numbers of people about a clinical trial through a mobile computing function (i.e., a banner ad on a mobile-optimized Web site) than through a communication function (i.e., leaving a voicemail on an individual phone). As more users become comfortable using their smartphones and tablets for computing functions, the opportunities to deliver clinical trials messaging on a wider level will grow.

 

Tip No. 1

Pharma must develop mobile-optimized Web sites.

 

As previously stated, consumers are using their mobile devices less frequently for computing. Forty-nine percent use it to visit social media sites; 23 percent reported using a mobile device to watch or download movies; 15 percent click on ads; and 15 percent make purchases. Those numbers drop even more significantly when talking about health-related computing functions. Just over a quarter of users visit health-related Web sites; 18 percent download health-related mobile apps; and 8 percent spend time at online health communities.

 

These percentages may be low, in part, because many health care sites are not designed specifically for mobile devices and therefore the user experience is not optimal. According to Digitas Health, of the top 10 pharmaceutical brands (by 2010 U.S. sales rank), only Plavix has a Web site that is optimized for mobile.

 

Tip No. 2

A secure Web-based platform enables physicians and health care professionals to communicate with patients about their specific health care needs. It also allows health care professionals an easy, direct way to communicate with patients about appropriate clinical trial opportunities.

 

Despite the low and slow adoption numbers, there is a subset of patients who are much more active in their use of mobile for health care. These early adopters are slightly younger (ages 35-54), have owned their smartphone for more than three years and have expressed interest in participating in clinical research.

 

This population reveals trends on where mobile usage is headed for the entire demographic. Compared to the total sample, these participants are significantly more engaged in mobile health technology. They are more likely to visit health-related Web sites (39 percent vs. 26 percent), download mobile apps (27 percent vs. 18 percent) and visit health-related communities (16 percent vs. 8 percent).

 

However, concern over privacy is impacting the rate of mobile technology adoption. When using a mobile device for health-related activities, all three groups said they were somewhat or very concerned about privacy (45 percent of patients, 37 percent of physicians and 44 percent of coordinators). A general feeling exists that mobile devices are less secure than desktops or laptops. This is a misperception. While portable devices are inherently at greater risk for theft, the information on them can easily be secured with passcodes and locking features.

 

Tip No. 3

Physicians should consider offering free Wi-Fi to patients in their waiting rooms that provides them with clinical trial information. Make sure appropriate signage lets them know the Wi-Fi is available.

 

The waiting room provides a captive audience of patients who are interested in using mobile technology to occupy their waiting time. About half of patients surveyed use their mobile device while in the waiting room, spending an average of five-to-15 minutes on it. Most commonly, patients use their mobile devices in the waiting room for e-mail (61 percent), texting (49 percent) and accessing the Internet (47 percent).

 

Patients were also asked whether their physicians offered Wi-Fi in their offices. Currently, only 16 percent of patients said their doctors provided Wi-Fi, while 57 percent said they were unsure if their doctors offered it or not. Interestingly, more than half of the physicians and coordinators said their offices were, in fact, Wi-Fi-enabled. When patients knew it was available, 79 percent of them accessed it, indicating the high level of interest for this service.

 

Also consider the aperture. Patients are often unaware of research opportunities taking place at their physician's practice. Wi-Fi activates a new communication channel that can provide interactive content to encourage dialogue about clinical trial opportunities.

 

Tip No. 4

Provide mobile tools to physicians and coordinators.

 

The good news is that both physicians and coordinators are eager for new tools that will help better connect them with their patients. Both physicians and coordinators are excited about mobile technology in the workplace, although their usage of and receptivity to the technology varies. Significantly more physicians surveyed owned smartphones than coordinators (91 percent vs. 41 percent, respectively). When asked whether they would use apps to help identify patients within their practice, the idea was enthusiastically welcomed by both physicians and coordinators (75 percent and 82 percent, respectively). Coordinators' slightly higher interest level is likely because they are more involved with patient recruitment at the site level.

 

Coordinators also expressed interest in apps that could be used to contact patients and colleagues about a clinical trial, update referrals from a centrally-managed ad campaign and manage scheduling. Pharma is already seizing an opportunity by providing mobile devices to coordinators. One surprising revelation was that 44 percent of coordinators have used a sponsor-provided tablet for a specific trial.

 

When asked whether they would be interested in receiving a device from a sponsor, 92 percent of coordinators replied yes. They were most interested in receiving a tablet (98 percent), followed by a laptop (89 percent) and a smartphone (79 percent).

 

This enthusiasm reflects the importance of access and uniformity. Since coordinators do not have access to mobile technology on the scale of physicians, they welcome these devices to help them do their jobs more effectively. Furthermore, a sponsor-provided device would ensure they are using technology in a way that the sponsor approves for their trial.

 

Improve the bottom line 

 

If pharma can figure out how to use mobile for clinical trials, it can conduct trials more efficiently, bring drugs to market more quickly and improve the bottom line. While many of these tips may be standard operating procedure for your marketing platform, hopefully the process of talking to your constituents and their influencers can further strengthen your customer's relationship to the brand and boost sales.