An Update from the Benchmark Survey of phactMI™ Member Companies on Providing Medical Information in the Digital Space.

OBJECTIVE: The Pharma Collaboration for Transparent Medical Information (phactMI™) benchmarking survey of 32 pharmaceutical companies describes the use of technology by Medical Information Departments. METHODS: A survey was distributed to phactMI™ member companies in June 2022 and included 79 closed and open-ended questions. The survey's six sections included demographics, chatbot, social media, instant messaging applications, websites, and technology. RESULTS: Most Medical Information Departments have implemented innovative technology since 2019 with the main driver of remaining up-to-date. A total of 94% have a Medical Information website. Of those with a Medical Information website for healthcare professionals (HCPs), 97% allow for self-authentication. Most HCP-based websites have webforms for inquiries and 1-800 numbers, while only few offer video chat, chatbot, and the ability to identify local representatives. These websites also link to clinicaltrials.gov, publications, posters, and congress materials. Only 30% have a website for patients/caregivers. Most websites are discoverable by Google™. Awareness of Medical Information Websites occurs in a variety of ways, with most using multiple strategies to reach HCPs. There is wide variation in the technology platform used for the core functions of Medical Information. CONCLUSION: As technology continues to advance and omnichannel content remains a key objective, Medical Information needs to remain agile and transformative in their strategic and tactical planning and execution. Based on this benchmarking survey, the authors recommend that Medical Information Departments focus on expanding services for patients/caregivers, leverage digital innovations, expanding awareness, building efficiencies in workflow through technology, and continually improving website functionalities with innovative technologies.

Responding to Unsolicited Medical Requests from Health Care Professionals on Pharmaceutical Industry-Owned Social Media Sites: Three Pilot Studies.

BACKGROUND: The use of social media has risen tremendously over the past decade with usage rates spanning from 5% American adults in 2005 up to 69% in 2016. A 2011 survey of 4033 clinicians found that 65% physicians use social media for professional purposes. To meet the changing needs and preferences of their customers, medical information departments within the pharmaceutical industry must continue to assess new digital channels such as social media and evolve their medical information services. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to pilot the use of social media as an additional channel to respond to unsolicited medical requests from health care professionals (HCP RUR) directed toward the pharmaceutical industry. METHODS: From November 2016 to June 2017, 3 pilots were conducted during 3 professional congresses: the 2016 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting, the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, and the 2017 American Headache Society Annual Scientific Meeting. For each social media account, an identified community manager monitored the incoming account feed for proper triaging of posts. When an unsolicited medical request appeared, the community manager routed the question to the Tier One medical information contact center agents to respond. The following metrics were collected: total number of unsolicited requests directed to medical information contact center agents, total number of unsolicited requests that required escalation to Tier Two medical information associates, total number of unsolicited requests that were confirmed US HCPs, total number of unsolicited requests received after hours, and total number of unsolicited requests that were redirected to a different channel. RESULTS: During the 3 pilots, 9 unsolicited medical requests were received with request numbers ranging from 2 to 4 requests per pilot. Of these, 1 was from a confirmed US HCP that required escalation to the Tier Two medical information associates. A majority of requests (7 out of 9) came in after the scheduled monitoring hours. There were 4 requests redirected to the medical information contact center phone number. The marketing accounts received more unsolicited medical requests than the corporate accounts (7 vs 2, respectively), and the 3 Twitter accounts saw more overall engagement (ie, medical requests and other general engagement) than the LinkedIn account. CONCLUSIONS: A limited number of medical questions were asked by confirmed HCPs using social media during the 3 pilots. New innovative medical information contact center channels often take time to build awareness. Continued channel awareness is needed to fully understand the channel's desired use. Because consumers currently make up a majority of social media engagement, companies should look into creating a combined consumer and HCP RUR strategy to provide a better experience for all customers.

Use of social media by pharmacy preceptors.

OBJECTIVE: To define current use patterns of Facebook and Twitter among pharmacy preceptors and assess perceptions regarding use of social media within professional practice. METHODS: An electronic survey instrument was sent to 315 pharmacists registered as advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) preceptors for Purdue University College of Pharmacy. RESULTS: Approximately 60% of the 155 respondents used a Facebook account and 9% used a Twitter account. Respondents were willing to complete continuing education (CE) credit (46%) using social media, and were interested in following professional organizations (39%) on social media; however, the majority were not interested in obtaining drug or disease-state information, identifying employment opportunities, or participating in clinical discussion forums via social media. CONCLUSION: Despite the growing popularity of social media across multiple disciplines, the majority of pharmacy preceptors surveyed were not willing to use these venues in professional practice.