Transforming pharma structure again is necessary because the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered the way doctors engage with their patients, and in turn, in the way that pharma companies approach doctors. The growth in remote healthcare in the past few months coupled with the fact that normalcy is unlikely to be restored anytime soon will require new engagement models by pharma companies to cater to the current paradigm.
To deliver a superior experience and transforming pharma structure for efficient doctor engagement, pharma companies need to focus on these three key aspects:
1. Better Patient Engagement
Emerging trends are showcasing that patients are getting more engaged in their healthcare treatment. Digital technology has empowered them to play an active role in their care. Owing to the pool of information available over the internet on health care and pharmaceuticals, people are becoming more comfortable with taking care of their own well-being. Pharmaceutical companies are benefiting from this trend, as the pharma industry has an opportunity to connect and engage with potential patients online while they are researching the benefits of certain products.
2. Only the well-prepared will succeed
Remote engagements can sieve out the best and worst of the pharmaceutical commercial force. Pre-COVID, during short face-to-face interactions, some representatives would have repeated the same brand messages multiple times to a doctor to ensure high brand recall. That doesn’t make sense anymore. Telling the doctor the same thing over and over again, is a quick way to get frozen out.
In order for the doctor to remain continually interested in the company’s value offering, the representative needs to offer diversity in their discussion topics, especially ones that are relevant to the doctor’s current medical practice and prove that he or she can be a strong educational partner for collaboration. For this to happen, the company should establish an up-to-date and regular digital training program. This will help for transforming pharma structure in a better manner.
3. Understanding the doctor is key
Doctors’ lives are changing. Take the case of a Mumbai doctor who started reducing his in-clinic office hours and instead increased his participation in virtual consultations. The doctor could not socialize or travel much due to the lockdown and is now home in the evenings. Pharmaceutical representatives need to be aware of the doctors’ new schedules and appreciate that they’re experiencing higher eye-fatigue than before. At the same time, doctors have started to have more “me time” available for them in the evenings.
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