Some of the big pharmaceutical companies are already using social media to connect with patients, but pharma as a whole isn't making the best use of such tools.
That's according to a new report, "Engaging Patients Through Social Media," from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, which finds that roughly half of all pharmaceutical manufacturers are using social media "to engage with patients on health-related topics." However, the report indicates only 10 companies are actually using the three primary social media channels – Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – and that most are using such tools as a broadcasting channel rather than to actually engage in active discussions with patients.
“Increasingly, patients are turning to social media as an essential forum for obtaining and sharing information related to their health,” said Murray Aitken, executive director of the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, in a press release that accompanies the report. “This trend only heightens the need for relevant, accurate content that can be accessed and used throughout the patient journey. Healthcare professionals, regulators and pharmaceutical manufacturers all need to overcome their reticence and acknowledge the vital role that they can and should play in contributing to the healthcare conversation.”
Among the report's key findings:
- "The overall level of engagement between pharmaceutical companies and patients has steadily increased during the past year," with Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, Boehringer Ingelheim and UCB leading the way. In all, the report found that 23 of the to 50 global pharmaceutical companies "have some level of healthcare-related social media engagement."
- Regulatory agencies are also active in social media, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration making active use of Facebook and the European Medicines Agency maintaining a busy Twitter feed. "The direct involvement of regulators into healthcare discussions online indicates their understanding of the value of a strong social media presence," the report said. And it indicates their concern: The FDA is expected to deliver final regulatory guidance on social media use by mid 2014.
- The leading source of medical information for patients and healthcare professionals is Wikipedia – not always a good thing, since those entries are subject to constant change and overseen by informal or working groups. Still, according to the study, an assessment of 50 major disease-specific Wikipedia articles found "a strong correlation between page views and medicine use, with online-gathering occurring throughout the patient journey."
- Younger people tend to do their research online before beginning treatments, while older (ages 50 and older) people tend to start the treatments first, then go online. According to the study, age is one of the few differentiating factors in social networking, far more so than gender, education or income.
The full report can be found here.
