BRIC doctors increase social networking

Physicians in the emerging BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries, particularly in Russia and India, are incorporating social networks and online communities into their professional resources, according to a study from Manhattan Research.

This trend is likely due in part to user-generated content from peers filling a gap in the availability of online clinical resources in some of these high growth pharma markets, it said.

Among physicians who are already online for professional purposes in Russia and India, more than half have used a social network or online community for a professional reason in the past year.

Adoption is more moderate in China and Brazil; however physicians in these countries are stronger users of social networking for their work and learning than those in more mature pharma markets, such as Canada and Japan.

Monique Levy, vice president of research at Manhattan Research, said: "It's fascinating to watch physician social media in different markets. In the US and Europe, it has grown very slowly mostly because physicians are highly satisfied with the clinical content they already access online.

"However, in less mature content markets – where physicians are still hungry for clinical information and peer knowledge – these networks are thriving."

The findings come from Manhattan Research's Taking the Pulse BRIC study.