The firm conducted a survey of 2,982 physicians to see how the relationship between physicians and pharmaceutical representatives might affect pharmaceutical sales in the future. Here are seven findings from their survey:
1. Twenty-seven percent of physicians never meet with pharmaceutical representatives, while 37 percent of physicians meet with representatives no more than three times per month.
2. About 90 percent of new physicians join organized health systems after medical school, and about 40 percent of those who join organized health systems completely restrict representative access as a result of health system policies.
3. Sixty-seven percent of physicians would prefer to access information from pharmaceutical companies digitally, making it their most preferred method of receiving information.
4. The percentage of physicians preferring to receive pharmaceutical information from representatives fell from 27 percent in 2012 to 20 percent in 2013, although it is still the second most preferred method of receiving information.
5. Fifty-two percent of physicians think pharmaceutical representatives will eventually take on more of an information coordinator role.
6. Over half of physicians, 58 percent, said they would consider communicating virtually with sales representatives, even outside of normal working hours.
7. Physicians ranked pharmaceutical resources, including representatives and digital information, as the least impactful factor for choosing medication brands when prescribing medication to patients.
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