Why HCP engagement fails without understanding intent

Healthcare professionals are under increasing pressure, with more information to manage than ever. Channels are crowded, AI demands faster and more relevant responses, and asset volume per indication has grown by over 75% in a decade.

Yet even with this abundance, 73% of HCPs say they don’t have enough time to read the professional content they want to read, while another 73% say pharma content still doesn’t fit their clinical reality.

There’s a clear gap: output is rising, but engagement isn’t. This often happens because many strategies focus on HCPs’ actions (open, click, attend) instead of understanding the why behind their behaviours.

Until we understand motivation and barriers, we risk delivering activity with no real impact.

Start with the ‘why’ behind clinical decisions

Simon Sinek’s ‘Start With Why’ framework, while not designed for healthcare, offers a useful parallel. In medical engagement:

• What = channels and tactics
• How = formatting and sequencing
• Why = the underlying beliefs, constraints, motivations, and context shaping an HCP’s decision.

Traditional metrics capture only surface activity.

They show attendance and engagement at a masterclass, but not its impact or effect on practice.

A more useful lens distinguishes between:

• Interaction metrics: did the HCP click or attend?
• Intention metrics: did the content align with their needs and beliefs?
• Intervention metrics: did clinical practice change as a result?

Two oncologists may attend identical sessions; only one updates practice.

By traditional measurement, both are successes. Behaviourally, they are not.

Behavioural science fills the gap

The COM-B model offers a practical framework for diagnosing behaviour:

1. Capability: does the HCP have the knowledge or skills?
2. Opportunity: does the environment support the change?
3. Motivation: do beliefs and context reinforce the decision?

Unless all three conditions align, behaviour rarely shifts.

This explains why many engagement plans underperform: they address output, not obstacle.

Consider these examples:

1. An oncologist may lack capability (insufficient clarity on emerging evidence).
2. A GP may lack opportunity (workflow constraints preventing adoption of new guidelines).
3. A cardiologist may lack motivation (risk perception or habit).

Each needs a specific next step, and guessing without identifying the barrier leads to guesswork.

From guesswork to precision

An intent-led approach does not demand organisational overhaul. It requires better signals, clearer decision points, and faster action.

A simple, effective workflow is:

1. Diagnose motivations and barriers: use tools like registration screeners, pulse polls, and post-event diagnostics, alongside real-world behavior data, to identify factors influencing change.
2. Decide on the right response: route insights to teams via simple dashboards or cues.Match barriers to interventions: targeted content, practical tools, follow-up materials, or field support.
3. Deliver interventions that make action easier: offer resources that target the identified barrier, such as clinical confidence, workflow support or outcome expectations.
4. Measure behaviour, not just activity: track shifts such as increases in ‘commitment to try’; movement in capability, opportunity or motivation; tool usage; guideline uptake; prescribing or decision-pattern trends.

This moves measurement from counting clicks to understanding change.

A clearer path for leaders

The industry must choose between two paths:

1. Continue interpreting HCP needs from surface metrics, risking misalignment and disengagement, or
2. Invest in uncovering the true drivers of behaviour, unlocking relevance, precision, and greater real-world impact.

Intent is the missing variable that makes the difference between activity and influence.

A practical roadmap for teams:

1. Audit for insight gaps: map current metrics against COM-B. Identify missing behavioural data and untapped opportunities to capture intent.
2. Pilot a simple use case: start with a registration screener or a micro-diagnostic. Define how those insights will trigger the next action.
3. Activate consistently: create lightweight playbooks that translate signals into practical steps for brand, medical, or field teams.
4. Adapt each cycle: measure revealed behaviours, adjust messaging, refine interventions.

Three things to remember:

1. Start with intent: Diagnose motivations and barriers before optimising channels.
2. Turn signals into action: Let behavioural insights guide the next best step.
3. Measure what matters: Track behavioural change, not just engagement.

A simple first move

Consider implementing a concise behaviour-focused screener at your forthcoming event or activity, and utilise the insights gained within a matter of weeks. Even a brief diagnostic assessment can yield significant enhancements in both relevance and impact.