Physicians Value Digital Sales Aids
Trending now: Survey of physicians reveals they want stronger and more custom content from sales aids.
While most pharmaceutical representatives today are armed with tablet devices and direct sales aids (DSAs), many are not using them effectively during physician visits, according to a recent survey from Intouch Solutions.
Physicians are increasingly digitally savvy, with two-thirds of those surveyed owning two digital devices and 84% owning an iPad.
Fifty-one percent of respondents reported seeing the same content presented more than once by the same rep. And two out of three physicians reported digital detailing content is not customized to their practices.
Based on these results, Intouch Solutions identified opportunities to dramatically improve the effectiveness of DSAs by focusing on meeting the needs of physicians and reps. These opportunities include:
Tailoring each call based on interaction data and insights gained over time
Reframing, re-packaging, and shining a new light on key topics of interest, such as clinical data, to further engage HCPs
Providing flexibility for reps to customize content for each visit and easily access information to respond on the spot
“As the survey results exposed, there are many opportunities to improve DSAs," says Faruk Capan, CEO of Intouch Solutions. “We look forward to addressing these opportunities in 2016 and beyond."
Patient-Reported Outcomes Now Used in Clinical Trials at Majority of Life-Sciences Companies
As acceptance for patient-reported outcomes (PROs) grows among regulatory agencies worldwide, life-science organizations look to these self-reported measures to round out clinical trials. According to primary intelligence provider Cutting Edge Information, an average 66% of surveyed companies report implementing PRO measurements during clinical trials.
These patient-reported endpoints add to product value propositions as companies move through regulatory approval discussions and then pricing and reimbursement negotiations. Although PROs have not been highly po
pular in the last two decades, 68% of clinical trials at surveyed top 10 companies, 45% at surveyed top 50 and 90% at surveyed small pharmaceutical companies now implement these self-reported measures.
“While companies increasingly accept and embrace the value of the patient voice in clinical trials, teams can choose from a number of endpoints as they develop PRO instruments," says Victoria Cavicchi, senior research analyst at Cutting Edge Information. “Among surveyed companies, the majority report using eight metrics during clinical trials."
Perceptions of Clinical Trials
The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation conducted a global study on public and patient perceptions of clinical research. More than 12,000 respondents completed the survey.
The top perceived reasons for why people participate in research remain the same as in 2013: to find a cure or better treatment for illness (46%), to help scientists understand more about how to treat a disease/condition (33%), to receive compensation (29%), and to help others (28%).
Respondents report placing the most trust in the clinical research information provided on the online clinical trial registry maintained by their government. Similar to prior surveys, the majority of respondents perceive clinical studies to be safe (89%). While this proportion is somewhat lower than the proportion in the 2013 study (94%), the variation could be explained by the increased sample size and more geographically diverse sample in the 2015 study.
Respondents outside of North America are less likely to perceive clinical studies as safe, particularly in Europe where 16% of respondents report clinical studies to be “not very/not at all safe" compared with 9% of respondents who think the same in North America. Similar to findings in 2013, the possibility of side effects remains the top perceived risk (43%). (PV)
