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How Doctors are Using Mobile Technology
It wasn’t that long ago that doctors relied on multiple printed sources to access normal laboratory values, formularies and medical references. However, nowdays, mobile technology is an integral part of every doctor’s working day. With the advent of electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic prescribing, it is not unusual to see a doctor armed with an iPad or other mobile device, instead of a pen and medical notes.

Doctors need to be e-savvy and, by using mobile technology, they are able to instantly access a patient’s medical history, lab test results, digital X-rays, as well as have the ability to prescribe electronically and send the prescription directly to the patient’s pharmacy of choice. Critical documents are kept up-to-date on a routine basis and can be easily accessible from a smartphone or tablet.

From Hard Copy to Hands-On
As doctors have grown increasingly comfortable using mobile technology to access information, they have also become more receptive to medical sales professionals who only utilize a mobile device for delivering clinical details. The fact is that eliminating excessive paperwork enables doctors to use their time more effectively. It’s likely that everything they need to know about a product or device is available at their fingertips, including the ability to sign for any samples left electronically at the end of the interaction. However, it is still very important for representatives to have a printed version of a supporting clinical paper—or at the very least, the means of emailing that paper at the doctor’s request.

We recently conducted extensive research across multiple specialties, looking at how doctors use mobile technology in both their personal and professional lives. Our research revealed a rising trend mobile technology adoption, with medical schools now issuing tablets to new students as the main means of information delivery.

In other findings, over 80% of surveyed doctors reported using an iPhone or iPad for both professional and personal purposes. Further examination showed that 98% of the “new” doctors (less than 10 years out of medical school) totally relied on mobile technology in their clinical lives. Interestingly, over 25% of surveyed doctors, ages 75 years and above and still practicing medicine, said they regularly use mobile technology in their clinical practice.

Read more from this blog series “Enabling More Effective Communication between Healthcare Professionals and Pharma Sales Reps.

Part 1 – The Anatomy of a 90-second Sales Call

Part 2 — How to Maximize Your Time with HCPs

Learn More About Maximizing Time with HCPs
Medical sales professionals who can effectively use mobile technology will have a competitive advantage. StayinFront TouchRX, delivers the tools, data and analytics to enable reps to conduct more effective sales calls, gain a better understanding of the needs of the HCP and deliver more targeted, one-to-one messages that help build relationships — and lead to increased use of your products.

Dr. Peter J. Shaw, Chief Medical Officer at Emisphere Technologies, is an expert on improving communications between pharmaceutical sales executives and healthcare practitioners. He has 25 years of experience in clinical medicine in a variety of specialties, 20 years’ experience in product launches and pharmaceutical sales training and assessment, and 10 years’ experience in post-graduate education.