Physicians and Smartphones, EHRs – Previewing 2011 Followup Study; 2010 Survey Showed Strong Adoption

Summer 2010: As digital platforms, from email to mobile video, claim a growing share of health care marketing spend, the need to understand the return on those dollars also grows. Nowhere is that need greater than among specialist and general practice (GP) doctors, as pharma and health care marketers turn more and more to digital messaging to reach these essential decision makers.

What communications devices do physicians have, and how are they using them? Have they begun "e-detailing" on smartphones? Do they anticipate that their time with sales reps will decrease significantly in the coming months?

This summer, PCN® surveyed more than 11,000 members of the panel and found that 55% of general practitioners and 62% of specialists now have smartphones (iPhones, BlackBerrys, and similar devices). Among physicians who have a smartphone, 85% to 90% are using them for Internet and for email. Click here to read more of the results.

Early next year, we will release a followup to this survey, which also covered

• adoption of electronic health records
• anticipated time with pharmaceutical sales reps
• use of smartphones for e-detailing and taking online surveys

To take this research to the next level, we plan to ask selected members of the Physicians Consulting Network to complete the survey via a mobile app. The new survey will also be able to offer two- or three-survey trends on many of these questions, with distinctions made between specialist doctors and GPs.

"Understanding how doctors are using digital technology is becoming a crucial element of effective marketing for almost every health care company," said Jim Vielee, Senior Vice President of PCN. "Our PCN survey series will continue to capture important insights that marketers can use to inform their balance of digital versus traditional messaging."

Find out how PCN can help with your next survey - request a bid or contact us using the form at right.