That’s a common complaint. However, there is a way to get your ultimate audience—prescribers—to listen to your message: change the messenger from Big Pharma to the patient in the exam room. A recent Pew Research Centers survey1 revealed more than 72% of Internet users looked for health information. That may not mean that patients are replacing consulting about their health issues with a physician, but they are adding the Internet as a medium to be more educated and informed.

The inaugural Inspire Annual Survey2 of more than 13,000 patients found that 55% of patients said they are well prepared for their doctors’ appointments and 52% said they are largely responsible for initiating new treatment discussions. When it comes to making the treatment decision, about 70% of patients said it was a collaborative effort with their physician.

The trend is clear: patients are actively participating in their medical care journey via electronic communication tools. They are researching molecular diagnostics of diseases, exploring treatment options, and sharing their personal sentiments with others like them.

Many patients begin by typing disease-focused queries into a search engine, which affords a great opportunity for pharma companies to occupy that space with unbranded patient education websites that contain only a minimal call to action.

Patients also want to connect with others who understand what they are going through and can relate to their experiences. To better understand the patient experience, many pharma brands are beginning engage in “social media listening,” a form of content analysis that can provide critical intelligence to inform the messages that ultimately filter through to the prescriber.

The digital healthcare landscape offers pharma brands with unprecedented opportunity to reach patients when they’re actively searching for information on their medical condition. In order to make sure your brand is in the right place, with the right message, delivered in the right way, it’s imperative that you partner with a creative and strategic agency that can maximize your presence with this audience.

Sincerely,

House Rules