What Pharma Communication Will Be All About Post Pandemic?

Rediffusion Healthcare on Monday released a research report focussing on how the healthcare space has undergone a major metamorphosis during the pandemic. 

The Healthcare arm of the advertising agency conducted a nationwide study with 115 doctors and health professionals. N. Rajaram, Managing Director, Sanofi India and Dr Sandeep Goyal, Managing Director of Rediffusion released the book in Mumbai. 

Rediffusion Healthcare conducted an all India survey amongst the key stakeholders to understand the consumer perspective towards health, doctor consultation, impact of digitalisation on buying behaviour and changed doctor-sales representative communication and how much of this will continue post-COVID-19.

"Consumers are more aware and cautious with their health. Their perspective changed to leading a healthier and stress-free life with a holistic approach. More than 50 per cent of respondents interviewed resort to homemade food, home remedies, alternative medicines like Ayurveda and Homeopathy," as per the report. 

More than 40 per cent of respondents invested in buying medical devices to check vitals for themselves or their family leading to a surge in medical gadget sales. And many downloaded health-related apps to monitor their health, the report mentioned. 

“As it is, general practitioners were becoming a rarefied species. With more and more consumers looking to find information, data, validation on the net, there is an increasing preference for self-assessment, self-medication & self-advice amongst patients today. The pandemic created some amount of self-restraint in terms of seeking face to face doctor meetings which further pushed up google search as a bridge to self-awareness and self-knowledge," said Dr Sandeep Goyal.

The 30 per cent of respondents interviewed bought their medicine from an online pharmacy. Consumers and doctors agreed that this trend will continue post-pandemic.

The report found that 83 per cent of doctors interviewed now feel personal branding is very important in today’s scenario in reaching out to more patients socially, digitally and building a positive image about self. 

“The research study has only confirmed that phygital will be the way forward both between doctors, patients and doctors- pharma professionals. The internet will become an increasing source of both information & reassurance for patients," said Aarti Dharmadhikari, Research Wing Head at Rediffusion Healthcare.