Physicians sound off in market research
Apr/29/2008 05:39 Filed in: HCP
Marketing
The goal of this research was to determine how physicians felt about medical information on health websites. While I thought they would have been supportive they also voiced concerns about misinformation and tool that often patients use to diagnose themselves. One physician was taken back when a patient came in saying that he had high cholesterol because he took a home cholesterol test. Such tests only tell you your total cholesterol, they do not distinguish between good and bad cholesterol. When the physician wanted to do the blood test the patient asked for a sample of "Crestor" ? The doc explained that he was not ready to prescribe anything until the tests came back and then, if his cholesterol was indeed high, he would talk to the patients about options. "I don't prescribe Crestor as a first line treatment for HC, I usually prescribe a generic of Lipitor." I was really quite upset that this patient asked for a product when we didn't even know if he needed it first.
When it came to Websites I heard an earful: "There are just too many sites for patients now and they're getting more and more confused by all the information out there". Physicians specifically went on about pharma product websites; "they are overly promotional and don't provide enough fair balance of information on disease conditions". Another said "the language is often difficult to understand and patients come in with highlighted words they printed from the Website and ask me what they mean". "I don't have time to interpret websites, they have to make it easier to understand and for God's sake stop with the self diagnosis tools", said another.
The moderator then turned to visits from pharma reps and immediately there was movement in the room. "I just don't have time to see them anymore so I tell my receptionist to sign for any samples" a physician from Chicago said. Another said that even when she does she pharma reps the calls often last less than 5 minutes and don't tell her anything that she doesn't already know. "I remember one drug rep who came into to see me with her boss, I had a full lobby of waiting patients and just didn't have time to see them so after 90 minutes they finally left". One older physician told the group "at one time sales people were resources for information now they are used car salespeople with way too many promotional claims".
When it came to their use of the Web they all agreed that they are using the Web more and more but they just don't have the time to surf the Web. "If I don't have the time to take a CME in person what makes people think I have the time to take them on the Web". "Sure it's there for me anytime but at the end of the day the last thing I want to do is spend an hour or so staring at a computer".
Finally we turned to diabetes and its impact on patients, especially with the troubles around Avandia. "First let me start by saying that I have never seen so many new cases of diabetes in my practice" said one PCP. "It's really getting bad, now I don't know if it's because of the aging population or the abundance of poor food choices but people are making a lot of bad health choices and it's effecting their overall health". "Pharmaceutical companies are making it way to easy to compensate for bad health decisions" As an example he used Viagra...."most men who say they have ED have ED because they are couch potatoes, they sit at their desks all day, come home eat dinner and watch TV and then wonder why they have ED?"
At the end of the 4 sessions we asked them what we could do to make it easier for them and we heard the following suggestions:
1. Make the content easier to understand and anticipate questions from patients.
2. Make sure that there is information of the disease state along with highlighting the impact of lifestyle changes on reversing some dangerous conditions.
3. Stop with so many diagnosis tools they are being used by too many patients to self diagnose.
4. "Stop sending pharma sales people into my office." "I don't have the time to see them anymore so save the gas".
5. Finally..."if you want to help me than start by helping my patients first", then she said "there was a time when the drug companies were more interested in helping patients than making sales but those days seemed to have disappeared forever".
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