THE DIGITAL
HEALTH DEBATE
i
C C
NOV 2015
A REPORT ON HOW DOCTORS ENGAGE WITH
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT
FOREWORD
i
C C
PAUL MANNU
Master Practitioner,
Behavioural Insights
[email protected]
Online interviews with
1,040
certified doctors
8
Markets
Advances in digital technology have
become ubiquitous within healthcare,
bringing about breakthroughs in diagnosis,
new treatment options and at the same
time heralding the expansion of companies
usually associated with technology into the
market place.
Enter Google Health, Apple Health, and
Microsoft HealthVault. These major players
are accompanied by IBM with ‘Watson’,
a new cognitive system that processes
information more like a human than a
computer. IBM claim Watson will be able
to ‘see’ medical images once its advanced
image analytics and cognitive capabilities
are merged with a newly acquired medical
imaging management platform.
The potential for these new and symbiotic
relationships is vast and doctors are at the
heart of it. As such, they are well placed
to report from the front line on how
digital advances are impacting healthcare
quality and efficiency, and how these
developments can potentially help them
to make better patient care decisions.
This report is a summary of findings from
Cello Health Insight’s 2015 research survey
of doctors across eight markets; including
the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the
US, China and Brazil. The research explores
the ways in which doctors are interacting
with digital communication channels and
digital devices in the workplace – focusing
on how they are using these to exchange
information and communicate with peers,
pharmaceutical sales representatives, and
of course with their patients.
The research explores doctors’ perceptions
of how smart technology such as apps
and wearables can be used by patients to
better manage their health.
The appendix section also includes our
findings on doctors’ preferences when
participating in research via a mobile app.
Throughout this report, consideration has
been given as to what the survey findings
mean for pharmaceutical marketing
strategies. If you would like to know
more about the specific relevance of this
research to marketing, sales and business
intelligence please get in touch.
For more information about the full extent
of the survey research, please do not
hesitate to contact us.
www.cellohealthinsight.com
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT
Contents
1 Uptake of digital technology
and online platforms
• Access to digital devices
• Communication via digital channels
• Social media use in a professional
capacity
2 Influence of digital channels on
prescribing
• Comparison of information sources
• Influence of social media on
treatment decisions
• Rise in use of tablets for
representative visits
3 Impact of digital on the
patient-doctor consultation
• Researching conditions online
• Self-diagnosis online
• Patients presenting with
a named prescription
4 Potential for mobile apps and
wearables to help the patient
• Extent to which doctors are
recommending health apps
• What doctors might
recommend apps for
• Barriers to take-up of
apps and wearables
5 Key segments emerging from
extent of sharing via digital
channels
• Defining user levels
• Chain of influence
6 Appendix
• Methodology
• About Cello Health Insight
• How doctors feel about participating
in surveys via mobile apps
1
UPTAKE
OF DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY
AND ONLINE
PLATFORMS
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 01
ACCESS TO DIGITAL DEVICES
82
of doctors own
or have access to
a smartphone
at work
58
of doctors regularly
search for work-related
information on
their handheld
There is a growing trend for doctors to use
digital technology to assist them in their
work. Doctors use their smartphones and
smart devices to access the web for a wide
range of purposes – from communicating
with their patients and peers, to finding
information that will help them to diagnose
or prescribe.
The smartphone has been widely adopted
by doctors globally, and it has become
a close companion from which they can
obtain information. As connected devices
offer easy access to the internet from any
location via Wi-Fi and mobile networks,
they are ideal for doctors on the move,
especially for specialists.
Globally, our survey finds that 82%
of doctors own or have access to a
smartphone at work, and 77% of them
report that they regularly use it at work
for professional purposes. Of these,
doctors in Brazil are the most likely to
regularly use their smartphone (90%),
followed by doctors in China at 85%. UK
doctors follow at 82%, which is a higher
number than in the other European
countries surveyed – Italy 73%, France
73%, Spain 79% and Germany 68% –
and higher than the US (73%).
Globally, 58% of doctors regularly search
for work-related information using their
tablet or smartphone. With 81% doing so
in Brazil and 76% in China, this again puts
them ahead of the curve.
There are some interesting differences in
the number of doctors who agree with the
following statement:
“I find my smartphone / tablet
so much easier to use than my
work desktop / laptop.”
Almost one third (32%) of all doctors
in the survey agree with this statement.
Doctors in emerging markets were much
more likely to agree with this statement
compared with those in Europe
(67% vs. 22%).
In Brazil and China, the data suggests
that doctors have embraced tablets and
smartphones, which presents interesting
opportunities for pharmaceutical
companies to access them in their
professional life.
The lower result for Europe, where
smartphone use in the professional setting
seems less advanced, is potentially due
to the need for systems in Europe to link
in with other local and national Health
Electronic Reporting (HER) systems –
something that is more difficult via
a smartphone.
02 | THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT
COMMUNICATION VIA
DIGITAL CHANNELS
88
of doctors have
emailed their peers in
the last month
48
report having
emailed a patient in the
same period
43
report having
emailed a pharma
representative in the
same period
The research explored
the ways in which doctors
are adopting digital channels
into their preferred methods
of communicating with
peers, pharmaceutical sales
representatives, and
their patients.
Phone calls
Continue to be the primary channel of
communication between doctors and
patients across all markets. 89% of
doctors reported talking on the phone
to colleagues in the last month, with
84% talking to patients, and 45% to
pharmaceutical sales representatives.
Email
A major channel of professional
communication between doctors,
with 88% surveyed having emailed their
peers in the past month. 48% report
having emailed patients in the last month,
and 43% of doctors having used email to
communicate with pharmaceutical
sales representatives.
Text messaging
Widely used across all markets to
communicate with colleagues. Globally,
68% of doctors use mobile texting to
communicate with their peers. Almost
one third (30%) use it to communicate
with their patients, and 18% with
pharmaceutical sales representatives.
Use was particularly strong in Brazil
and China (82%).
WhatsApp / WeChat
Embraced in China, Brazil and Italy for
communicating with peers, patients and
pharmaceutical sales representatives.
France and the US are far behind other
countries in terms of using WhatsApp,
or its equivalent – WeChat in China.
Doctors in Southern European markets,
China and Brazil are using these platforms
to communicate with peers, patients and
pharmaceutical sales representatives.
Only 2% of UK doctors and 4% of US
doctors report using WhatsApp to
communicate with patients in the previous
month, compared to 87% in Brazil, 61% in
Italy and 50% in China.
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 03
33
of doctors would like
to communicate with
patients via a
doctor-patient website
Web platforms
Skype
Offer an opportunity for a customised
solution. Doctors are open to the idea
of using dedicated web platforms to
communicate directly with patients,
with one third (33%) of doctors globally
agreeing with the statement:
Has not taken off with doctors. While it is
often seen as having great potential for the
profession, less than 17% of doctors claim
to have used the channel in the last month
to communicate with their peers, and only
4% with patients or pharmaceutical
sales representatives.
“If I could communicate with
patients via a specialist doctorpatient website, it would be
more time-efficient.”
Social media
Doctors in Brazil and China were even
more likely to want to communicate in
this way, with 47% and 67% respectively
agreeing with the statement.
Has an increasingly important role to play
in doctors’ peer-to-peer communications,
but it is yet to take off for patient
communication. 30% of doctors globally
now claim to use consumer social media
to communicate with their peers. However,
only 8% claim to use it to communicate
with patients and pharmaceutical sales
representatives.
Digital channels most commonly used by doctors to communicate:
Communicating:
with collegues
with patients
with pharma sales reps
Phone calls
89%
84%
45%
Email
88%
48%
43%
Text
68%
30%
18%
WhatsApp
31%
15%
12%
Consumer
social media
30%
8%
8%
IM
25%
7%
5%
Skype
17%
4%
4%
WeChat
3%
1%
1%
04 | THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT
SOCIAL MEDIA USE IN
A PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY
1/2
of global doctors use
Wikipedia at work
There is wide regional variation in
social media use, which pharmaceutical
companies will need to understand for
their strategy development.
The three social media channels used
most widely at work ‘in the last month’
for professional purposes are YouTube
(28%), LinkedIn (24%) and Google+ (21%).
In Brazil and China there is significant
use of YouTube in comparison to the
other countries in the survey. In Brazil,
50% of doctors report having used it for
professional purposes ‘in the last month’,
and 37% claim this in China.
Wikipedia
By comparison, the online encyclopedia
resource Wikipedia is used globally by
about one half of doctors at work.
63% of doctors in Brazil and China, 53%
of doctors in Europe, and 42% of doctors
in the US report using it in the last month.
Use of consumer social media by doctors in a professional capacity (% of respondents):
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 05
IMPLICATIONS
FOR PHARMA
MARKETING:
Digital technology and online
platforms are channels used
by a significant proportion of
doctors and each is a potential
entry point for the promotion of
a pharmaceutical asset.
Understanding doctors’ digital
behaviours is vital for effective
multi-channel marketing
strategies. In particular,
identifying the right message
for the right person, through
the right channel.
2
INFLUENCE
OF DIGITAL
CHANNELS ON
PRESCRIBING
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 07
COMPARISON OF
INFORMATION SOURCES
54
of doctors prefer a
representative as their
primary source of
information
27
used a digital channel
to access company
information
While face-to-face information from
peers, key opinion leaders (KOLs)
and visits from pharmaceutical sales
representatives are still all in the top four
channels for trust and influencing doctors’
prescribing decisions, the use of some
digital channels is increasing.
However, the data suggests that digital
offerings can be useful alongside the sales
representative. More research is needed
to help pharmaceutical brands understand
what information is better communicated
face-to-face and what works better sent
digitally.
The pharmaceutical sales representative
still remains the preferred source of
information – with 54% of doctors saying
the representative is their preferred source.
In terms of using digital channels to access
pharmaceutical company information, only
27% of doctors surveyed had accessed a
company website in the last 6 months, and
17% a branded product-related site.
Top 4 information sources:
Exposure to in
past 6 months
Preferred source
of pharma info
Most trusted
source of
pharma info
Most likely to
influence
prescribing
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
67%
65%
64%
58%
Sales rep visit
Direct mail ads
Medical advertising
Direct email
54%
48%
42%
32%
Sales rep visit
Sponsored event
F2F info from peers
F2F with KOLs
48%
43%
34%
33%
F2F info from peers
F2F with KOLs
Sales rep visit
Conference /
sponsored meetings
38%
35%
27%
22%
F2F info from peers
F2F with KOLs
Conference /
sponsored meetings
Sales rep visit
08 | THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT
Influence of social media on
treatment decisions
Rise in use of tablets for
representative visits
35% of doctors globally agree with the
statement that:
Our research suggests that a shift is
happening towards using tablets in visits
from pharmaceutical sales representatives
and that their use has caught up with the
use of paper-based sales aids.
“Information from peers
on Twitter will increasingly
influence treatment decisions
over the next one to two years.”
80
of recent sales
discussions have involved
paper-based materials
74
of recent sales
discussions have
involved a tablet
In contrast, only 16% agreed that
information from pharmaceutical brands
on Twitter would increase in influence
over the same period.
Almost one quarter (24%) agreed that
brand pages on Facebook will increase
their influence on treatment decisions
in the next one to two years, making this
and other social media sites important
access points for pharmaceutical
companies to consider.
According to the research, 80% of recent
sales discussions have involved paperbased materials, and 74% have involved
a tablet. When it comes to preferred
format, tablets win, but only just, at 46%
compared to 43% for printed. However,
in Brazil and China there is a strong
preference for tablets (50% vs. 37% for
paper-based materials).
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 09
IMPLICATIONS
FOR PHARMA
MARKETING:
The changing environment in
terms of influences suggests
that if pharma brands wish to
maximise their presence they
must indentify the optimal
mix of face-to-face and digital
channels. They also need to
understand how both mediums
work together in order to build
relationships that will ultimately
influence prescribing decisions.
3
IMPACT OF
DIGITAL ON
THE PATIENTDOCTOR
CONSULTATION
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 11
RESEARCHING
CONDITIONS ONLINE
69
of doctors globally say
that patients often look
up their condition online
prior to a consultation
62
of doctors globally agree
that patients often arrive
having self-diagnosed
40
of patients will
specifically request
named prescriptions
The patient-doctor consultation
increasingly indicates that digital is
acting as a significant catalyst for the
democratisation of medicine, with patients
having more influence over their treatment.
In fact, one of the most interesting and
striking pieces of data we collected was
related to the influence of the patient.
With the wealth of information available
online, it’s no surprise that patients
are more informed than ever before
when they arrive at a consultation
with a doctor. Patients have a thirst for
medical knowledge and currently 69% of
doctors globally say that patients often
look up their condition online prior to a
consultation. Digital has been instrumental
in patient empowerment, and doctors are
accommodating this new behaviour rather
than dismissing it.
Self-diagnosis online
Even more startling is the finding that
62% of doctors globally agree that patients
often arrive having self-diagnosed from
online research. Italian and Brazilian
doctors agree with this trend more than
other markets.
The majority (90%) of Brazilian doctors
and 81% of Italian doctors agree that their
patients look up conditions online, and
87% of Brazilian doctors and 71% of Italian
doctors agree that their patients selfdiagnose online.
Patients presenting with
a named prescription
40% of doctors globally agree that
patients will often specifically request
named prescriptions based on their
own online diagnosis. This behaviour
is more common in some markets,
particularly in Italy (65%), and close to
half of doctors in Brazil (47%), Spain
(46%) and the US (45%) also report the
trend. France and the UK both lag behind,
with only 28% of UK doctors and 33% of
French doctors claiming their patients ask
for a named product.
This data highlights the ongoing increase
in online searching from both the patients’
and doctors’ perspectives. Crucially,
it reiterates the need for a strong online
presence for pharmaceutical brands across
a range of resources.
Digitally connected patients are clearly
empowered by the information they find
online and are the carriers of essential
information into the consultation room.
Pharmaceutical brands cannot ignore these
websites and platforms, but must consider
exactly how to engage with them.
12 | THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT
IMPLICATIONS
FOR PHARMA
MARKETING:
The new development and
the increasingly democratic
relationship between doctor
and patient is hugely important
for pharma brands. If one
patient mentions a brand to a
doctor they might ignore it, but
if 20 patients mention the same
brand then their voices will start
to have an impact.
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 13
4
POTENTIAL
FOR MOBILE
APPS AND
WEARABLES
TO HELP THE
PATIENT
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 15
EXTENT TO WHICH
DOCTORS ARE RECOMMENDING
HEALTH APPS
41
of doctors globally
agree with the following
statement: “Mobile apps
could be a game-changer
to improving health
outcomes in many of the
patients I see.”
Reasons doctors might
recommend an app:
Diet & weight loss 70%
General health & fitness
activity 65%
Health monitoring e.g. glucose
levels, sleep, heart-rate 53%
Smoking cessation 49%
Compliance 45%
Patient support networks
& information 37%
With smartphone penetration increasing
around the world, apps have become a key
part of many people’s lives. According to
published data1, there are some 165,000
consumer health apps available at present,
but just 36 of them account for half of all
downloads. This suggests that many are
not being utilised at present, but that is
likely to change.
hat doctors might
W
recommend apps for
Perhaps it’s no surprise that health apps
are predicted to play a greater role in
healthcare in the future, with 41% of
doctors globally agreeing that:
It is interesting that the situations in which
doctors would recommend a mobile app
are the more straightforward treatment
areas and nothing specialist emerged.
This may point to doctors lacking
awareness of more specialist apps – as
suggested by a recent BMJ survey2, where
the greatest reason for non-use was that
doctors just ‘didn’t think about it’.
“Mobile apps could be a gamechanger to improving health
outcomes in many of the
patients I see.”
However only just over one third (36%)
of doctors globally say they are likely
to recommend a health app to their
patients in the future. There are several
reasons why doctors might shy away from
recommending apps. It could be that there
are too many apps to choose from, so it
could be a case of information overload,
or there may be concerns about evidence
and efficacy. Serious apps will need the
endorsement of doctors to gain traction.
According to our survey, globally, the
top reasons that health apps would be
recommended are for diet and weight
loss, general health and fitness, and
smoking cessation.
1. IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.
Patient Apps for Improved Healthcare:
From Novelty to Mainstream. Oct. 2013
2. BMJ.
The Ownership and Clinical Use
of Smartphones by Doctors and Nurses
in the UK: A Multicentre Survey Study.
Oct. 2015
16 | THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT
BARRIERS TO TAKE-UP
OF APPS AND WEARABLES
33
of doctors would
recommend a wearable
tech device in the future
to their patients
36
of doctors would
recommend a mobile
health app in the future
to their patients
The wearable tech market is estimated
to be growing rapidly and will be at
$20.6 billion by 2018. Based on this,
we might expect a high rate of use,
recommendations and enthusiasm.
However, at present, ownership of
wearable health technology such as
fitness tracking bands among doctors
themselves globally is less than one in ten
(9%), with the US market highest at 15%.
Globally, only 6% of doctors regularly
use their fitness tracking bands at work.
In the US it’s slightly higher at 11%. The
regular use of fitness tracking bands by
doctors is non-existent in Germany (0%)
and Brazil (0%), and negligible in Italy (1%)
and Spain (1%).
Doctors globally say they are almost as
likely to recommend a wearable tech
device to patients (33% would recommend
in the future) as a health app
(36% would recommend in the future).
Our survey highlights key concerns
among doctors about the accessibility
of health apps and wearable technology,
and ultimately how effective they are in
managing disease burden.
Almost one third (28%) of doctors
surveyed said that the biggest barrier
to them recommending health apps is
that they don’t believe all patients own
a smartphone.
The next highest concern at 14% is
the consistency and accuracy of the
data, with a further 11% of doctors
concerned about the inability for the
data collected to integrate with other
healthcare operating systems, limiting
their usefulness. 10% of doctors also think
that doctors themselves currently lack the
necessary time or skills to interpret the
results accurately.
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 17
IMPLICATIONS
FOR PHARMA
MARKETING:
Digital departments in pharma
need to understand how to
overcome logistical barriers
before engaging or collaborating
with digital initiatives.
Universality and integration are
vital components to consider.
Until health apps and wearable
technology can be used for the
majority of their patients and can
integrate with existing hospital
based electronic systems, they
are unlikely to be widely used.
5
KEY SEGMENTS
EMERGING
FROM EXTENT
OF SHARING
VIA DIGITAL
CHANNELS
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 19
DEFINING USER LEVELS
42
of doctors globally are
classified as ‘influencers’
(online KOLs)
23
of doctors globally are
classified as ‘engaged’
(being low to medium
sharers of information)
35
of doctors globally are
passive ‘observers’
(they just read
information)
The increasing use of digital
communication tools has led to the
emergence of ‘influencers’ – doctors
who are proactive, high sharers of
information online either via specialist
websites for healthcare professionals,
or via general consumer social media such
as Facebook and Twitter. From our survey
data we classify 42% of doctors globally
as ‘influencers’, and these can be
regarded as online KOLs.
They represent an opportunity for
pharmaceutical companies in helping
to generate noise and interest via
digital channels, sharing information
from a variety of sources including
medical journals, product information /
reviews, conferences / events and patient
support web sites.
23% of doctors can be considered
‘engaged’, and are low to medium sharers
of information, while 35% are passive
‘observers’ who only read information.
However, in all cases, social media
represents the perfect channel for sharing
content – whether posting it proactively or
receiving it passively.
20 | THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT
CHAIN OF INFLUENCE
They may be small
in number, but the
‘influencers’, or ‘digital
KOLs’, are an important
audience for any pharma
company operating in
today’s landscape.
They represent a key
target for a virtual
‘wisdom of the crowd’
approach.
Identifying them, understanding
what they are sharing and
developing strategies to provide
them with the right information
to share will maximise their
potential as ‘virtual sales people’.
Listening to their conversations
and understanding how they are
steering the stream of debate
can also provide an early warning
system for potential problems.
Types of information being
shared and read by doctors:
Being shared:
On specialist websites:
Medical journals 39%
Product information / reviews 32%
Specific therapy area 31%
Conference / event 28%
Patient support websites 24%
Career development / training
or new posts 24%
Samples 24%
On consumer media:
Patient support websites 16%
Conference / event 16%
Product information / reviews 14%
Medical journals 14%
Career development / training
or new posts 12%
Specific therapy area 10%
Samples 9%
Being read:
On specialist websites:
Medical journals 56%
Product information / reviews 50%
Specific therapy area 50%
Conference / event 41%
Patient support websites 32%
Career development / training
or new Posts 31%
Samples 31%
On consumer media:
Patient support websites 20%
Conference / event 20%
Product information / reviews 17%
Medical journals 16%
Career development / training
or new Posts 15%
Specific therapy area 11%
Samples 10%
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 21
IMPLICATIONS
FOR PHARMA
MARKETING:
Pharma needs to ask whether
they place as much emphasis on
digital opinion leaders as they
do on face-to-face experts at
conferences. They also need to
indentify whether the nature
of the message communicated
should be the same. News
travels much faster in the
digital space.
6
APPENDIX
Methodology
About Cello Health Insight
1,040 interviews were conducted across
a range of primary and secondary
physicians in eight markets between 10th
and 31st July 2015. The markets covered
were the US, the UK, France, Germany,
Spain, Italy, China and Brazil.
Established in 1983, Cello Health Insight is
the global marketing research arm of Cello
Health, with offices in London, New York
and Chicago.
Each interview was 15 minutes in
length and was conducted online with
panel provider M3 Global Research.
All respondents were verified as being
healthcare professionals. The final sample
was un-weighted.
Sample:
US
n=330
Europe (UK, France,
Germany, Italy, Spain) n=650
Emerging Markets
(China & Brazil)
n=60
Total
n=1,040
Fieldwork conducted by online
panel provider M3 Global Research
www.cellohealthinsight.com
THE DIGITAL HEALTH DEBATE 2015 | ©CELLO HEALTH INSIGHT | 23
HOW DOCTORS FEEL ABOUT
PARTICIPATING IN SURVEYS
VIA MOBILE APPS
Supplementary research
88
of doctors in global
survery would be happy
to take part in mobile
app surveys
80
of doctors would be
willing to participate in
a market research study
via an online community
60
of doctors would be
prepared to dedicate up
to 15 minutes to a survey
via their smartphone
The vast majority (88%) of doctors who
took part in our global survey said that
they would be happy to take part in
mobile app surveys. Additionally, 80% of
doctors said that they would be willing to
participate in a market research study via
an online community.
In order to understand doctors’ preferences
when they are participating in research
surveys via a mobile app, we conducted a
short additional survey with a sub-sample
of the respondents in the UK and US.
Although doctors the world over are
notoriously short of time, the majority of
respondents (60%) who answered our
specific questions about mobile research
indicate that they would be prepared to
dedicate up to 15 minutes to complete a
survey via their mobile phone. One quarter
would only spend up to five minutes on a
survey. The ability to complete a survey in
stages is considered a benefit.
Although many doctors are already happy
to complete surveys on mobile apps, more
could be done to optimise the experience
for respondents. 22% cite the need for
a clear and simple design, and the same
proportion note that surveys need to be
optimised for mobiles and tablets.
Doctors have high expectations of survey
design and execution. They expect
researchers to make it easy for them to
participate, and the research suggests
that automated questions encourage
completion of mobile surveys.
• 86% are prepared to use
‘slider’ answers
• 78% will watch video content
• 71% will listen to other media
• 69% will complete open text questions
•
While doctors may be happy to engage
with video content, the survey reveals
that very few have an appetite for content
creation. Less than one half (48%) would
complete an online diary, only 40% would
upload images and less than one quarter
(24%) would be prepared to upload a
video of themselves talking to camera.
The message for clients and market
research companies is clear: keep it
short and simple if you want to hold
doctors’ attention.
Using mobile technology for surveys
allows for ‘in the moment’ examination
of the motivations and experiences of
doctors, asking pertinent questions
of their experiencing self rather than
their remembering self. This is a great
opportunity to gain in the moment
insights. However surveys must be kept
short, a 45 minute mobile survey would
counteract the attraction of the medium.
www.cellohealthinsight.com