Doctors Embracing Digital Technology – But Are Reluctant To Prescribe Apps And Wearables For Patients
Face-to-face communication still biggest influence on prescribing behaviour, says new report
Digital technology is bringing healthcare professionals and
patients closer together – but face-to-face information from peers, KOLs and
rep visits remain the biggest influencers on prescribing behaviour – that is
one of the key findings of a global online survey of healthcare professionals
published by market research agency Cello Health Insight.
The firm’s second annual Digital
Health Debate report also reveals that 62% of doctors say that patients
often attend surgery with a self-diagnosis from web research, with 40% saying
that patients often specifically request named prescriptions from online
research – although there is significant geographical variation in this figure,
with the figure rising to 65% in Italy and 45% in the US, whilst the UK sits
lower than the global average at 28%.
The report, which looks in detail at how doctors use digital
technology, shows that 77% regularly use their smartphones at work for
professional purposes. The figure for
the US is 73%, in the UK 82%.
However, despite embracing digital technology themselves, only
36% of doctors are likely to recommend a mobile health app to patients in the
future, and just one in ten doctors globally own a fitness band – with only
half of those using it regularly at work.
Paul Mannu, director at Cello Health Insight, said, “What is
really interesting about this study is that it shows that healthcare
professionals are using digital technology widely, but that when it comes to
what influences them to make prescribing decisions, personal interaction,
especially with peers, is still more important.
“Digital technology is, however, bringing doctors and
patients closer together: it is interesting that medical professionals are as
likely to use websites designed with patients in mind as they are those aimed
solely at doctors.”
“Doctor, I’ve done my
own diagnosis and know what medication I need”
Patients clearly have a thirst for medical knowledge, and the
trend for researching – and identifying – one’s own diagnosis shows no sign of
abating.
· 69%
of doctors said that their patients look up their condition prior to a
consultation, rising to 90% in Brazil, and 72% in the US and UK.
· 62%
of doctors agreed that patients often come to them with a diagnosis they want
to discuss having researched online. This
figure rises to 87% in Brazil, 68% in the US and 63% in the UK.
· 40%
said that patients often specifically ask for a named prescription having
diagnosed themselves online – a 4% increase from when the same question was
asked in 2014. In Italy the figure is
65%, in the US 45%, whilst in the UK it is lower than average at 28%.
What’s App, Doc? Only a third of doctors recommend mobile apps
Despite 41% of doctors agreeing that Mobile Apps could be a
‘game changer’, globally just 36% said they are likely to recommend a Mobile
Health App to their patients, with the biggest barrier being the fact that not
all patient have smartphones (and therefore the need for a universal system).
· In
the UK 33% are likely to recommend a Mobile Health App to patients in the future. In the US, the figure is 43%. · The
main reasons for recommending Mobile Health App use were: Diet and Weight Loss
(70%), General Health and Fitness activity (65%), Health Monitoring (53%),
Smoking Cessation (49%), and Compliance (45%).
· The
biggest barriers to recommendation of wearable tech and Mobile Health Apps
were: not all patients have smartphones (28%), possible inconsistent use of the
app, leading to incomplete data (14%), integration with existing health
electronic management systems (11%) and doctors not having the time or
necessary skills to understand the data (10%).
Where are the
wearables?
Ownership of fitness tracking bands amongst doctors globally
is just 9% (although 15% in the US) and 5% say they regularly wear a fitness
tracking band while at work (11% in the US, 5% in the UK). 36% of doctors say they are likely to
recommend a wearable technology device to patients in the future, although
there are significant geographical variations in this figure (US 43%, UK 33%,
highest in Brazil 67%).
Paul Mannu commented, “Arguably wearable devices offer huge
potential to individual health monitoring and management. Yet despite the fact that wearable devices can
track and record numerous areas of an individual’s health – from heart rate to
weight loss, exercise frequency and intensity to glucose levels - it is mobile
health apps where the medical profession
sees more opportunity to deliver better health outcomes in the near future.
“This is certainly borne out by the evidence: globally almost
twice as many doctors own a fitness tracking band as use it regularly at work,
and if they aren’t doing it and leading by example, it’s unlikely they would
expect - or indeed recommend - their patients to do so.”
Face-to-face still the
biggest influence
Information received face-to-face from peers, KOLs, pharma
sales representatives and sponsored meetings/conferences were found to be the most
trusted channels of communication, and also those with the most influence on a
decision to prescribe.
“The amount doctors are using digital technology, and the
importance they attach to it as a way of engaging with patients, is definitely
growing year on year,” said Paul Mannu.
“But pharma cannot view such channels as a panacea; the basics of engaging
on a personal basis with doctors remains a crucial part of winning their trust
and influencing prescribing decisions.
“The key for the industry is to use insights such as those
provided by the Digital Health Debate report
to understand the diversity of doctors around the world, and then adopt
relevant strategies to maximise return by talking to customers on the channels
and in the way that ultimately encourage your customers to become your
advocates.”
The Digital Health
Debate is a report published by Cello Health Insight based on a global survey
of doctors across the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the US, China and
Brazil. 1,090 doctors were interviewed with online panel provider M3 Global
Research. The full report can be downloaded at www.cellohealthinsight.com.
London, July 08, 2019 Cello Health GmbH opens in Berlin with its Business Insights and Analytics division, Cello Health Insight, appointing two regional directors: Heike Tombrink – Regional Director, Head of Cello Health Insight Germany, and Matthias Heurich – Regional Director, supporting Digital Innovation. Cello Health
Cello Health Insight in partnership with Janssen Pharmaceuticals has won EphMRA’s 2019 Market Research Excellence Award for 'Business Impact through Innovation'. Cello Health
Cello Health Logic offers pharmaceutical companies the ability to make sense of healthcare social media conversations and deliver actionable insights. Cello Health