More than digital: prioritising the human element in HCP engagement design

This is the key thing you need to know about healthcare professional (HCP) engagement – the desire for authentic human connection reigns supreme. Yes, digital innovation is reshaping how we communicate, educate and advocate. But the human element lies at the core of effective engagement.

In this era of medical communications, we have the tools to evolve HCP engagement in a human-centric way – through the technologies we deploy, the collaborators we choose and the data we harness. Here’s a look at how approaching the resources at our disposal with intentionality can prioritise the human element in HCP engagement.

Pressure is growing for materials, interactions and events to deliver clear impact. That begins with clarity in both content and experience design – information must solve an existing problem; delivery must remove barriers to interacting with the information; and the journey must provide right-time, right-place opportunities for exchange.

What that looks like in practice:

• Self-directed HCP micro-learning modules that contextualise scientific evidence and clinical guidelines, with each module tackling a slice of the treatment pie – followed up by comms providing an opportunity to feed back and ask questions
• Choose-your-own-adventure e-detail aids that accelerate meaningful conversation between your field force and HCPs, supplemented with handpicked, follow-up resources
• Events that invite group participation through the inclusion of instant feedback that guides presentations or games that augment the didactic content – paired with dedicated networking time (eg, at the booth) while new learning is still fresh.

‘Key external expert’ (KEE) is replacing ‘key opinion leader’ (KOL) in pharma parlance, a nod to greater equity of contributors and to hyperspecialisation in the expertise landscape.  Where once there stood a handful of broadly influential individuals, now there stands a broad church of experts who span the whole scientific and clinical landscape.

When a brilliant KEE can come from anywhere, it’s critical that we define the pieces of the communications puzzle that require depth of mastery to unlock meaningful understanding. And in a world where digital platforms can elevate new voices quickly, it’s equally imperative to identify the voices that are building credibility through relevance.

The time is now for pharma to diversify its KEEs, bringing in emerging leaders and specialists in complementary disciplines, representing a wider range of backgrounds, to disseminate content that feels personal and inclusive. Representation matters, and HCPs are more likely to engage with education from people and perspectives that matter to them.

With over 4,000 articles added to PubMed daily, and HCPs facing growing workloads amid shrinking resources, it’s harder than ever for cutting-edge research to break through the noise. Meanwhile, for pharma, it can seem nearly impossible to discern what HCPs truly need amid the information overload. But here’s the thing – they’re telling you all the time, you just need to capture it:

• Consider building a well-planned, proprietary large language model (LLM), trained on your information, so that HCPs can get fast, accurate and trustworthy answers to their simple questions – followed up by a human for deeper discussion. Imagine a scenario where an HCP asking ‘When do I prescribe this medicine?’ returns the approved product indication, and opens the door for the field force to save the day with some case studies later
• If you’re already feeding information from your learning platform, rep-triggered emails, webinars, LLM, etc, through AI-assisted analysis, you know it’s a goldmine for determining what’s working. Join up metrics, and optimise your topics, tactics and channels. (And reduce the ‘noise’ by getting rid of what’s not working.)
• There’s one more, and it starts with humans talking. Support your field force with thoughtful guidance for garnering insights from HCP interactions, give them a platform for logging findings, and then make a cup of tea. With the touch of an AI button, we can now uncover key themes and stay on top of shifting thinking in real time.