Why should pharma marketers pay attention to nurses?
*Because they influence prescription decisions, support patient education, and can help improve adherence*
By on Feb 28, 2011Because they influence prescription decisions, support patient education, and can help improve adherence
I admit Im partial to nurses since my mom, aunt, sister-in-law, and cousin are all registered nurses (RNs).
My sister is now a nurse practitioner, which means she has prescribing power!
But outside of my personal interest, why should pharmaceutical marketers pay attention to nurses?
A couple of recent studies remind us of their importance.
A Manhattan Research study,Taking the Pulse of Nurses, surveyed 800 RNs and advanced practice nurses (RNs who have completed graduate training as a clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetist, nurse-midwife, or nurse practitioner.)
They learned that 50% of nurses feel that they influence the treatments that patients end up following.
With physicians spending less and less time with patients, nurses play an increasingly key role. (For more on the link between nurses and marketing, see Nurses and physician assistants: A new pharma marketing channel.)
Nurses strongly support patient education.
The Manhattan Research survey also showednurses have a very favorable attitude to the role of the Internet in patient care and are highly likely to recommend websites to patients, significantly more so than physicians.
Brand marketers should learn the type of websites to which nurses are sending their target patients in order to be there with product messages.
Pharmaceutical companies can provide comprehensive patient education websites and tools and offer these as resource to nurses.
This is an effective tactic for rare diseases where good information is scarce. (For more on nurses and the Web, see The Internet as a compliance and health management tool.)
Theres a tremendous opportunity, since aMedTera survey found that of 7,028 respondents 95% indicated that they are looking for more comprehensive information about disease management and 77% said they hadnt received any written information about their illness or medications directly from the physician.
High percentiles of the patients surveyed said specific types of information are very much or extremely valuable, including online resources to help manage a condition (84%) and information on medications and potential side effects (78%).
Nurses talking with patients as they are discharged from a hospital are the second most influential voice encouraging patients to stay on their medicines according to astudyin the American Journal of Managed Care.
Pharmacists talking to patients in a store were most influential.
The findings were based on a review of more than 40 years of studies published in medical journals. (For more on nurses, pharmacists, and compliance, see Collaborative care: Improving information exchange and adherence and How pharmacists can help improve patient compliance.)
More than 80% of the nurses surveyed by Manhattan Research have visited the corporate site of a pharmaceutical, biotech, or device company in the past year.
So when creating brand marketing plans, dont forget about targeting the nurses and pharmacists.
Eileen OBrien is director of search and innovation at Siren Interactive. She blogs at Sirensong.
For more on packaging and compliance, join the sectors key players at Patient Adherence, Communication & Engagement Europe on May 31-June 1 in Berlin.