Celebrating comms excellence

In an era of information overload and meeting fatigue, the pharmaceutical industry struggles to engage with healthcare professionals (HCPs) in an effective way to build long-standing collaborations.

We know that engaging with HCPs is incredibly valuable for medical education, with 48% of HCPs from a McKinsey Pharma Engagement Study (2023) citing direct key opinion leader engagement is impactful for clinical decision-making. So how can we achieve the right balance of engagements?

One challenge is over-engagement with HCPs, leading to conflict between cross-functional and regional teams. We need to consider the types of engagements we initiate with HCPs to maintain the quality and impact of communications, ultimately supporting the integrity and reputation of teams and pharmaceutical companies.

This conundrum calls for a shift in approach – moving from frequent and isolated engagements towards more valuable, strategic engagements. When aligning objectives for HCP engagements, the unmet clinical and practical needs of HCPs should be a priority. Medical teams should focus on providing value that directly assesses these needs rather than overwhelming HCPs with repetitive or disconnected content.

To achieve this, teams must collaborate internally to prioritise the pivotal areas of clinical focus, avoid duplicating efforts, choose selective engagements and ensure that HCPs are truly heard and understood. Long-term engagements are vital to build deeper relationships with HCPs; activities like consensus-building initiatives, collegium and expert council groups, and co-developing educational programmes all offer sustained opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange. Long-term relationships not only benefit HCPs by supporting their clinical practices, but also help our teams gain invaluable insights into evolving medical needs and build HCP partnerships.

Mutual collaborations can benefit both HCPs (bolstering educational activities and providing peer-to-peer networking opportunities) and pharma teams (facilitating strong connections with clients and directly engaging with leading experts in healthcare). This approach can minimise burnout and over-engagement not only for HCPs but also for our own teams.

In conclusion, by prioritising strategic, quality engagements and fostering long-term, mutually beneficial relationships, we can ensure that partnerships thrive, driving clinical innovation and improving patient care while maintaining the integrity of collaboration.

Janisha Ladva is Scientific Director and Laura Wilson is Head of Commercial Strategy, both at Bedrock Healthcare Communications