COVID-19 is impacting health care professionals’ information needs
Since Healio began reporting on COVID-19 in early January, traffic and engagement among our physician audience has increased precipitously. Clearly, health care professionals are seeking credible information they can count on as the crisis develops.
Healio Strategic Solutions set out to explore the nature and type of information health care professionals were seeking. The response was fast and furious. I will leave it to Adrienne Stevens, EdD, vice president and head of scientific strategy for Healio Strategic Solutions, to detail the survey findings. In the meantime, we are inspired to recommit Healio’s efforts to report reliable, accurate news on COVID-19 as it becomes available, and to explore how the outbreak affects each of our specialty audiences.
– John C. Carter
Chief Operating Officer, The Wyanoke Group
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-c-carter-a42aba11/
Twitter: @JohnCCarter
Healio Strategic Solutions: Health care professional needs during the COVID-19 crisis
COVID-19 has interrupted the way health care professionals obtain medical information. To that end, Healio Strategic Solutions developed an online survey directed to Healio users to understand the types of information that health care professionals want in today’s challenging environment.
Within 5 days, we received 3,710 completed responses from health care professionals in 19 therapeutic categories. All recipients were U.S. health care professionals and included physicians, residents, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Due to the current environment with limits on social distancing, 1,832 respondents reported needing medical news and education daily, with 1,510 respondents accessing news websites multiple times per day and 1,268 reporting that the lack of contact with industry will impact their practice as they depend on samples and patient resources to keep them informed of new products and novel ways to use medications and devices.
- More than 2,860 respondents noted they have more time to consume online medical information and are more dependent on online education than ever before.
- More than 2,065 respondents indicated they want disease state education in their specialty area.
- More than 1,025 respondents indicated they want new data, including late-breaking data, that are typically presented at live medical congresses. The remainder expressed interest in methods to help patients obtain their medications, including coupons and product specific information typically provided by pharmaceutical sales representatives.
Healio users who responded to this survey reported that CME activities are their preferred method of education activities, followed by text, video and text, webinars, virtual roundtables, and on-demand activities and podcasts led by thought leaders.
Taken together, U.S. health care professionals turn to Healio every day for credible and timely medical information. Responses from the Healio audience help to inform how we develop medical education strategy and solutions. Healio has solutions for today’s challenges.
– Adrienne Stevens, EdD
VP, Head of Scientific Strategy
Healio Strategic Solutions
AStevens@HealioStrategicSolutions.com
Cell: 917.402.8427
Disclosures: Carter is Chief Operating Officer of The Wyanoke Group®. Healio®, Healio® Strategic Solutions, Healio® Live and SLACK® Incorporated are wholly owned subsidiaries of The Wyanoke Group. He has been a SLACK Incorporated or Wyanoke Group employee since 1982. Along the way he has worked as editor, writer, marketer, product and project developer and manager. Stevens is Vice President, Head of Scientific Strategy for Healio® Strategic Solutions. She brings almost 20 years of experience in roles spanning academic medicine/research, medical education, and industry field-based leadership.