Digital Transformation in Medical Communications
Digital Transformation in Medical Communications
Papercurve streamlines the creation, review and sharing of content for life sciences and is a technology partner with Sci Max Global.
SciMax Global is an innovative Scientific Communications and Medical Affairs consulting and technology solutions provider in the pharmaceutical industry. With a unified cloud Technology Platform and value-driven Consulting Services, SciMax has proven capabilities to help Pharmaceutical and Life Science organizations manage Medical Affairs programs.
About the Author: Beth Miller, PharmD serves as Senior Director, Medical Information for SciMax Global. She has 17 years of experience in medical affairs including contact center, medical writing, and quality assurance.
Digital transformation is revolutionizing the medical communications space within the pharmaceutical industry. The COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges posed by restrictions limiting access to people, health facilities, and other businesses have further accelerated the need for innovative ways to present and discuss scientific content with patients and healthcare providers (HCP). Although risk management and regulatory compliance still govern scientific exchanges, the world of digital technology is rapidly changing the way the pharmaceutical industry conducts business. There is an increasing need for personalization of the user experience, enabling individuals to reach and access specific content in an instantaneous self-service format. Additionally, patients and HCPs alike, want easy to understand information in an enhanced, more immersive presentation that is simple to navigate. Delivery of information in a standard pdf format with simple graphs and tables is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
Most medical affairs departments now see digital delivery as a requirement in the planning of future strategies. While the core roles of developing scientific materials through summarizing study data and optimizing key scientific messages has not changed, the means to which this content is being delivered has changed significantly. Today medical communications teams are presenting product and disease state information with strategic and powerful visuals which include interactive documents, infographics, videos, and animations intended to enhance the reader experience (Figure 1). Cloud, mobile, and device technology is changing rapidly to accommodate this shift in data presentation formats.
Furthermore, technology is enhancing the way content is developed while at the same time creating efficiencies within medical affairs teams and streamlining business processes. Content reuse and component-based authoring tools allow medical affairs teams to build documents and slide decks using content that is pre approved for use and ready for omnichannel publishing. Collaborative tools streamline the creation and review process by removing the obstacles that come when multiple versions of documents are created and edited by multiple contributors.
One of the most impactful digital innovations is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). AI including chatbot technology is increasing efficiency in responding to medical information inquiries and allowing automation of less complex inquiries and thus giving the contact center staff more time to focus on custom inquiries and higher propriety tasks. New innovative and cost-effective technologies are emerging and improving the way organizations collect and utilize data. With insights gained from real-time and historical data, large amounts of information are being collected that allow companies to gain a deep understanding into how products are being utilized by patients and prescribed and managed by health care providers.
In the rapidly evolving world of medical communications, it is crucial to embrace the latest technologies for creating, delivering, and analyzing high-quality information digitally. To do this, medical affairs departments must stay current with emerging technological trends and adapt business processes as technology changes. Now more than ever, the future of medical affairs relies on embracing and capitalizing on digital innovation.
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