The value of medical education in driving commercial success
August 6, 2024 | Commercial Success, HCP education, HCP engagement, Medical Education Content, medical education
Onyx Health’s Sarah Seilly discusses how innovative, data-driven approaches to medical education and strategic collaborations with HCPs can drive engagement and ensure commercial success in an evolving healthcare industry.
Traditionally, healthcare marketers have used medical education content to facilitate engagement between physicians and sales teams, thanks to its role in delivering key scientific messages and supporting data for treatments and products. However, as the wider healthcare industry has evolved, so too has medical education. A simplistic approach no longer achieves the engagement, or tangible results required to ensure commercial success.
Today, sales forces are shrinking, and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare facilities are still facing overwhelming patient backlogs and overextended staff. As a result, remaining sales teams face the challenge of limited access to healthcare professionals (HCPs).
To successfully engage HCPs, sales teams must adopt an approach which is captivating, informative, flexible and justifies the use of HCPs’ valuable and increasingly limited time. Developing strategies that incorporate medical education will help sales reps excel in this competitive landscape.
Maximising the benefits of medical education
The wider benefits of quality, consistent medical education are obvious. HCPs trained in the latest medical knowledge and techniques can make more informed decisions and provide better diagnoses and treatments for their patients. As patients become increasingly involved in decisions relating to their care, HCPs must be able to explain treatment options in a clear manner, so treatments aren’t delayed, or adherence isn’t impacted. Ultimately, well-educated HCPs provide a higher-quality healthcare experience for patients, helping to create positive, sustainable relationships between HCPs and healthcare companies – the holy grail.
Fortunately, the increasing role of the increasing role of medical affairs as the third strategic pillar1 presents the opportunity to create medical education content which is informed by collaboration with HCPs. In practice, this results in:
- High-value, science-based brand content which is clinically relevant and delivered in multiple formats for consumption on demand
- Insightful and genuinely informative disease awareness with a focus on well-crafted, creative content, all focused on the ultimate goal of fulfilling education gaps and positively impacting the HCP’s relationship with their patient.
- Integrated feedback loops for R&D to help ensure your teams are considering and acting upon real-world insights
For maximum engagement, content should be delivered on carefully planned and varied channels, with more consideration given to HCPs’ increasingly full schedules, personal media preferences and a focus on third-party outlets with a collective disease area.
Using data-driven insights to engage HCPs
2023’s The Future of HCP Engagement Impact study highlighted that “pharma often lacks sufficient focus on the content and channels that HCPs value, and finds it difficult to measure meaningful outcomes and impact. Furthermore, signs of a back-to-normal mentality post-pandemic and persistent short-term thinking threaten to undermine the effectiveness of future activity.”2
There is a lot to be addressed here. Traditional vanity metrics focus on the reach of a programme on the surface level, but thanks to the increasing use of digital training methods, we can apply more sophisticated methods of assessing and demonstrating HCP learning needs, knowledge gain, behaviour change and impact in clinical practice.
Reactive programmes can be developed that meet the needs of HCPs in consideration of their available time. By creating educational content that can be accessed on demand in smaller, more manageable snippets, you can effectively deliver vital information and track the impact both digitally and with self-reported data at every stage, which also helps to identify any additional educational needs or gaps.
The report also raised the issue of generational differences, highlighting that “the younger generation of HCPs exhibit the greatest volume, breadth and frequency of digital engagement, and higher receptiveness to pharma interactions, so a focus on their needs will serve pharma well into the future”.
We’re making an impact
The industry is doing a lot right. In April 2023, ABPI UK Pharma Reputation Index research highlighted that 71% of HCPs agreed that pharmaceutical companies operating in the UK support the NHS with treating patients.3
“I always find the information provided by the drug companies very reliable, it’s been through many approval processes and has evidence-based practice.” – GP4
Meanwhile, the ways HCPs prefer to engage with medtech companies has been evolving since the COVID-19 pandemic. In August and September 2021, McKinsey conducted a survey of 761 global medtech decision-makers that showed in November 2020, at the height of the pandemic, only 35% of HCPs preferred in-person interactions. By August 2021, 58% of HCPs preferred in-person interactions with medtech firms. This same survey highlighted that up to 60% of HCPs prefer digital or remote engagement when researching unfamiliar technologies.5
As expected, HCPs still value in-person interactions for product trials, training and case support, relying on medtech representatives to provide product and clinical expertise and to serve as thought partners6. However, there is always room for improvement.
Don’t neglect your teams
When it comes to driving commercial success, effective medical education can also support the internal teams that liaise with medical professionals, whether Salesforce or medical affairs. If your sales team are pitching your products and services to potential buyers or investors, they must have a thorough understanding of the product and the science behind it, so they can confidently communicate what the added value is and how the patient benefits. A skilled, knowledgeable workforce improves performance and can impact talent retention, a fundamental prerequisite to commercial success.
With so many varied audiences, it’s not always possible to individually tailor training to every single learner, especially for larger teams, but it is important to develop a strategy that strikes a balance.
‘If the WHY is powerful, the HOW is easy.’ – Jim Rohn
The first and critical step in developing an effective medical education programme is to understand the challenge at hand. HCP and patient collaboration are key to this.
When Onyx Health set out to develop a three-year European launch and execution plan for a product to manage sialorrhoea (excessive drooling) in children, including market research, brand communication, medical education and brand marketing activities, we conducted in-depth analysis to truly understand HCP awareness of the condition and the challenges this presented for HCPs, caregivers and patients. It was apparent that the level of knowledge and understanding in how to treat and manage sialorrhoea was fragmented at best, with no European pathway or guideline for best practice.
Central to our communication strategy was the formation of the International Sialorrhoea Steering Group (ISSG), which fostered collaboration among key opinion leaders (KOLs) to drive educational efforts targeting HCPs across Europe.
A communication plan was created to disrupt the perception of sialorrhoea among HCPs. An insightful, multifaceted medical education programme highlighted the importance of early diagnosis, effective management and treatment, and triggered empathy by emphasising its significant impact on quality of life.
You can read more about how Onyx Health instigated a change in the perceptions of sialorrhoea across Europe here.
Through consistent engagement with clinicians, influencers and the client, the product has successfully launched across five EU markets, enabling the company to secure a significant market share.
Commercial impact through engaging education
It’s not enough to concentrate on what your medical education says, instead there is a need to concentrate on how, when and where your audience will engage with your content. Now more than ever, HCPs are receiving information in customised and personalised ways, and getting this right can make a big difference to your commercial success.
Onyx Health was engaged by a company with a niche drug for managing chemotherapy extravasations in Europe. The company faced low product awareness, resulting in either the drug being unavailable, or left to sit on pharmacies’ shelves unused until expired, which resulted in hospitals no longer renewing their stock.
You can read more about how Onyx Health spearheaded an international advisory board of leading European chemotherapy nurses to develop a robust education program – which was well received, with most markets accruing a waiting list of attendees wishing to participate. Sales of the product significantly increased as nurses became aware of the product, the treatment pathway and how to administer it.
To find out more about what we offer as a medical education partner, or for more information on our healthcare communications solutions, drop me a line.
References:
- McKinsey & Company. A vision for medical affairs 2025. Report [Internet]. 2019. Available from: https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/life%20sciences/our%20insights/a%20vision%20for%20medical%20affairs%20in%202025/a-vision-for-medical-affairs-in-2025.pdf [Accessed: July 2024].
- EPG Health. The Future of HCP Engagement Impact. Report [Internet]. 2023. Available from: https://epghealth.com/reports/the-future-of-hcp-engagement-impact/?utm_medium=&utm_campaign=2024_IOF&utm_source=PMHub-IOF2024&utm_content=&utm_term=&CID=GA1.2.1714287587.1719398085 [Accessed: July 2024].
- UK Pharma Reputation Index. Reputation – HCPs: Relationship with the NHS [Internet]. 2023. Available from: https://www.uk-pharma-reputation-index.org.uk/healthcare-professionals/relationship-with-the-nhs/ [Accessed: 17 July 2024].
- UK Pharma Reputation Index. Overview [Internet]. 2023. Available from: https://www.uk-pharma-reputation-index.org.uk/healthcare-professionals/overview/ [Accessed: 17 July 2024].
- McKinsey & Company. The future of medtech sales is hybrid. Article [Online]. 30 September 2022. Available from: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-future-of-medtech-sales-is-hybrid [Accessed: 17 July 2024].
- McKinsey & Company. How medtechs can meet industry demand for omnichannel engagement. Article [Internet]. 2023. Available from: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-future-of-medtech-sales-is-hybrid [Accessed: 2024].
This content was provided by Onyx Health
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