The area of medicine a doctor specialises in is a much stronger indication of their media preferences and workflow than things like their age or practice type, according to a new report.

Manhattan Research said the findings, drawn from its Taking the Pulse US 2012 study, mean it is critical for pharma to refine its online marketing strategies by segmenting doctors by their specialty.

They found haematology oncologists spend an average of nine more hours online per week than ophthalmologists, urologists, and allergists.

Another area where digital behaviour varies among specialist audiences is when it comes to their visits to pharmaceutical or biotech product websites.

On average, 15 per cent of physicians visit a pharma or biotech product website weekly, but haematology oncologists are twice as likely as the average physician to visit one of these sites weekly.

“Physician digital behaviour varies in unpredictable ways making segmentation critical, especially with most brands having to do more with less in 2013,” said Manhattan's vice president of research Monique Levy. 

Hours spent online professionally per week, top 3 specialties

Hours spent online professionally per week, bottom 3 specialties

Visit pharma or biotech product websites weekly or more often, top 3 specialties

Manhattan Research's Taking the Pulse US 2012 study was conducted online during the first three months of 2012 among 3,015 US physicians.