Digital Healthcare in Asia and Gulf Region for Healthy Aging and More Inclusive Societies: Shaping Digital Future

Digital Healthcare in Asia and Gulf Region for Healthy Aging and More Inclusive Societies: Shaping Digital Future provides insight to the potential of advanced information technologies to build stronger healthcare systems, better quality healthcare services, and more resilient societies. The book covers two important regions: Gulf Region (Bahrein, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and UAE) and Asia, and explores how these countries develop policies for healthy aging and how digital tools can serve these goals. This book delivers a collection of relevant, innovative research works on digital healthcare, with four main goals: (1) to cover two geographical regions (Asia and Gulf Region) with important advances in digital healthcare; (2) to present case studies in the field of IT and digital health during the pandemic and analyze the lessons from these studies; (3) to evaluate the latest advances in the field of digital healthcare (especially Artificial Intelligence [AI], Big Data, Blockchain, and 5G); and (4) to discuss implications for main stakeholders (patients, doctors, IT experts, directors, and policy managers) and recommendations for policy makers in these two regions and elsewhere.

• Delivers relevant case studies and experiences on digital healthcare from Asia and Gulf Region, covering important advances in digital healthcare
• Provides recommendations for policy makers in Asia, the Gulf Region, and around the world
• Discusses implications for main stakeholders (i.e., patients, doctors, IT experts, directors, and policy managers) and recommendations for policy makers in these two regions and elsewhere
• Investigates the interplay of several important research areas (e.g., digital healthcare, 5G, AI, Big Data, and Blockchain) with an emphasis on healthy aging

• Language: English
• Publisher: Academic Press
• Release date: May 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9780443236389

Book preview

Section I

Lessons from Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare services, and preparedness for the future

Outline

Chapter 1 Can digital and social media change access to healthcare information?

Chapter 2 Food safety and online food delivery apps post-COVID-19 in Greater Jakarta—Indonesia

Chapter 3 Technology for early detection and diagnosis of mental disorders: An evidence synthesis

Chapter 4 Critical analysis of digital mental health applications for healthy aging

Chapter 1

Can digital and social media change access to healthcare information?

Chintan B. Zinzuvadia¹, Abhishek Ghosh², Ramya Ravi¹ and Manthan D. Janodia¹,    ¹Department of Pharmacy Management, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India,    ²MediSage Ltd., Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Indian pharmaceutical industry is the third largest in the world in terms of volume with considerable growth and was expected to touch US$55 billion by 2020. In view of changes, prescribers are finding it difficult to keep themselves updated with the recent developments in medical science. In the era of information technology, the emergence and utilization of digital marketing have gained popularity among marketers. Companies have started launching mobile apps for patient awareness of various diseases and to ensure their adherence to treatment regimes. A few organizations not only leveraged webinars, video chats, information portals and platforms for prescribers, it have also equipped their field force with gadgets to disseminate real-time information on developments in therapy areas. Social media (SM) being a powerful medium of communication, it is only prudent that marketers use this tool effectively while designing marketing campaigns to create a brand image for their products. There is a sizable amount of growth in the pharmaceutical industry in terms of utilizing newer digital technologies for promotional strategies. Marketing experts in future will be required to have the skill of extracting useful information from all sources of information available digitally and use it to generate marketing content. Young adults in the age group of 18–24 years are more inclined to use SM for discussion on health-related issues. Product management and leadership teams now understand the need to have a digital strategy in place as a part of their larger marketing strategy.

Keywords

Pharmaceutical; India; digital; social; media; healthcare

Introduction

Indian pharmaceutical industry is the third largest in the world in terms of volume with a considerable growth from US$6 billion in 2005 to US$36.7 billion in 2016, and is expected to touch US$55 billion by 2020. The increase in the standard of living of an average Indian, higher consciousness and awareness for better health coupled with healthcare and medical policies have further added to the growth of the pharmaceutical industry (Ibef.org, 2017). In contrast, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), India has only 0.7 prescribers per 1000 people. The disease burden due to lifestyle changes, ambition, work pressure among people and associated lifestyle diseases have made today’s prescribers busy. The advances in the medical field are happening at a breakneck speed. In view of all these changes, prescribers are finding it difficult to keep themselves updated with the recent developments in medical science (OECD, 2017). With ever-increasing pressure on prescribers with information overload and thousands of brands available in the market, it is difficult for them to keep abreast with the latest changes happening in the pharmaceutical landscape. With physicians challenged for time due to increased patient in-flow, they have very little time to update their knowledge. The traditional model of a medical representative (Mr) meeting a doctor may no longer be effective. The efforts by Mr need to be complemented with the latest tools.

The Mr acts as a brand ambassador for the company and its brands or products. He/she is the one-point contact between the company and the doctors. The marketing department designs the marketing strategies to empower the field force/Mr with an objective to gain maximum market share for the existing products and to create demand for the new launches. The most important traditional marketing strategy that is considered to achieve maximum returns on the marketing investments made is Detailing. However, detailing fails to achieve the expected returns as it lacks proper engagement of all the stakeholders, also the cost involved doesn’t justify the returns.

A recent survey by Docplexus suggests that 80% of prescribers check product information online. 74% of prescribers want to communicate with Mr regarding new drugs, 68% want to limit the interaction to once a month and only 33% think that such interactions add value to their practice (Docplexus Insights, 2017). Hence, in the era of information technology, the emergence and utilization of digital marketing have gained popularity among marketers. Around 80% of internet users through smartphones and computers are seeking medical opinions online. Thus, the digital medium of marketing in the pharmaceutical industry can’t be ignored. Digitalization has been at the core of marketing strategies across all industries contributing toward maximizing profits and increasing market share. It is said that the pharmaceutical industry has been slow in recognizing the potential of digitalization and is still embracing the traditional marketing strategies that revolve around the field force, specifically Mr (Bhagat, 2017). With changing times, pharmaceutical companies need to explore new avenues to effectively market their products, bridging the gap between prescribers’ expectations and Mr offerings, making the interaction more desirable, impactful and interesting. This can be in some way achieved with newer digital technologies and social media (SM) marketing, which will create awareness among the prescribers for the product, giving way to more effective and informed communication. Mr should come across as an assistance provider for the prescriber rather than as a seller in making the right decision on the products or services (Bhagat, 2017). Digital marketing engages all stakeholders—Physicians, Salesforce, and Patients. New technology ranges from the use of newer tools of digital marketing for scientific detailing to prescribers to using SM for communication with prescribers and patients alike for providing better patient education, support and compliance. Pharmaceutical companies in India have already begun including this newer technology in their current marketing strategies, as new launches show. Companies have started launching mobile apps for patient awareness of various diseases and to ensure their adherence to treatment regimes. A few organizations not only leveraged webinars, video chats, information portals and platforms for prescribers, it have also equipped their field force with devices like iPads, which help disseminate real-time information on developments in therapy areas. Multinational companies see India as a ground for introducing tech innovations that can be replicated worldwide and they have introduced several tools like a heart and liver app and another one for vertigo exercises. Some of these are built on augmented and virtual reality to engage with both prescribers and patients (ETBrandEquity.com. 2017).

Some of the tools that empower digital media, but are not limited to, include

Website management

Websites assist in communicating with prospects and customers and are a convenient tool for establishing company and product identity. A website can make the business unique by demonstrating and showcasing content that is accessible and easy to understand by the target audience.

Apps

Through apps, companies can motivate patients to continue with a treatment regime and gain better control over the disease. Apps can assist Physicians in offering their services in a better way.

E-detailing

Pharmaceutical product detailing to doctors by MRs is believed to fetch the single largest return on marketing investments by the pharmaceutical companies globally, as of date. E-detailing is not a single entity but can take many different forms: from remote live discussion with a sales rep to a purely scripted interaction with a website or an Interactive Voice Response phone line. Most e-detailing models have been tried in the US and only some models, such as some forms of Scripted e-detailing have been shown by independent studies to increase prescribing compared to traditional detailing methods. Each e-detail model differs in its popularity and applicability to specific physicians, for example, GPs are more easily accessed than specialists in scripted e-details.

Augmented reality

These technological tools have started being used across the pharmaceutical industry globally and companies in India have started to use this technology as well mostly for marketing, product branding and providing patient education creatively.

Virtual reality

The use of virtual reality has become the newest buzzword in the marketing industry across retail, social and even healthcare. For those not familiar with the concept, virtual reality is used to tap into consumer behavior using challenging techniques to mold them into a desired behavioral pattern. Fairly recently, the pharmaceutical industry in India has begun to use this technology to strengthen relationships with its stakeholders, mainly with patients and healthcare professionals.

Sensor-based technology

There are strong indications of a digital healthcare revolution in the market, often referred to as wireless, digital, or mobile health. The basic idea is to wirelessly connect the patient with care providers to monitor their health and intervene as needed ideally preventatively as the patient goes about their normal life. The enabling technology to do so would rely on miniature, smart sensors incorporated as deployable, wearable, and implantable for the patient. Wearables are attractive because they require no medical procedure and travel with the patient.

Telehealth

As the world grappled with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of telehealth was felt and experienced. Telehealth became a norm during restricted movements where the care seeker and provider connected online using digital platforms for healthcare-related consultations.

Digital and social media

With the intensification of interactive communications, digital technologies and SM, various challenges have appeared for the practice and theory of advertising and marketing in the Indian pharmaceutical industry. According to a study by Kozinets et al. (2010), newer digital technologies, including SM, is increasingly developed by companies to advertise content and newer forms of communication practices emerge as the market space changes (Kozinets et al., 2010). A study by Rokka et al. (2013) identified that in addition to the use of SM to create brand value and the challenges associated with it, companies can leverage the strengths of their employees to create a positive image of the company and the products (Tienari, 2014). A paper by Schultz and Peltier (2013) presents subjective evidence regarding the continuous efforts that are required for consumer brand engagement involving SM and the challenges associated with it. The authors recommend that the advanced tools of communication be used to create long-term impact regarding brands rather than focusing on short-term revenues (Schultz & Peltier, 2013). A study by Voorveld and van Noort (2014) examining cross-media campaigns found that forward encoding and multiple source perception contributes to campaign results (Voorveld & van Noort, 2014). SM being a powerful medium of communication, it is only prudent that marketers use this tool effectively while designing marketing campaigns to create a brand image for their products. There is a sizable amount of growth in the pharmaceutical industry in terms of utilizing newer digital technologies to their existing promotional strategies.

A study by Alkhateeb and Doucette (2009) contends that physicians are willing to adopt newer techniques of promotion such as electronic detailing (e-detailing). Factors leading to the adoption of new technology by physicians include relative advantage, peer influence, attitude, speciality, and restrictive access (Alkhateeb & Doucette, 2009). As physicians are interested to learn, pharmaceutical companies should mold themselves to cater to the changing needs of physicians to make newer information easily accessible.

A study by the Anderson and Jiang (2018) in the US noted that online health information is sought by one in three American adults and the internet has become a diagnostic tool. A total of 41% of respondents online diagnosis was confirmed by their medical professional; women are more likely than men to find a possible diagnosis; half of the enquiries online are made for someone else; 26% read about the medical condition of someone else and young adults with college education are more likely to seek online health information (Fox & Duggan, 2013). The use of the internet to seek health information is corroborated in an earlier study which found that young adults are more likely to seek online health information (Bhaskaran et al., 2017). In view of changing dynamics where both health providers and seekers are turning to digital media platforms, pharmaceutical companies have to look toward developing and forming unique forms of digital platforms and create content easily accessible to both groups depending on the importance of information to be provided.

An increase in access to healthcare, better infrastructure and the increasing efforts by the pharma industry to penetrate and access markets can be supplemented by the optimal use of digital media and various platforms. The pharma companies have to explore developing and forming unique means of connecting with the target market using advanced mechanisms like sales force engagement, consolidation of field force, strengthening marketing channels with the adoption of digital marketing, and organize patient education programs.

Despite the willingness of health providers and seekers, major pharmaceutical companies in India—both domestic and multinational—lack intent in leveraging the expanding digital health space (Business Standard, 2018). The digital health of the Indian pharma industry was published in a report titled Indian Pharma Digital Health Report 2015. The report had a significant observation that the major pharmaceutical companies do maintain a presence on SM platforms yet their level of active engagement with consumers remains quite low. A few probable reasons for pharmaceutical companies not aggressively adopting digital platforms for marketing communication include ambiguous regulations, orthodox marketing outlook, and difficulty in aligning online and offline marketing activities to name a few (Docplexus, 2018).

Competencies of digital marketing

Ventola has argued that SM tools could enhance healthcare professionals learning and networking experience but could also pose risk with data privacy issues and professional risks (Crush, 2011; Antheunis et al., 2013; Ventola, 2014). It is important for marketers to adhere to core principles of marketing while adopting new digital tools. The pharmaceutical industry is no different. One of the ways to connect is through digital media, including SM. Further, patients and professionals expect flexibility of time in using SM (Antheunis et al., 2013). According to Grajales et al. (2014), the development of web 2.0 technologies resulted in enhanced accessibility and communication of information by patients and healthcare organizations respectively. Individuals and businesses have the opportunity to promote their blogs, reviews, opinions, services and products, which in turn generates immense information (Grajales et al., 2014). This implies that marketing experts in future will be required to have the skill of extracting useful information from all sources of information available digitally and use it to generate marketing content. Micu et al. (2011) believe that companies that adapt to new technologies are normally in a position to take first-mover advantage. Further, digital and technology-based applications could be used to enable better marketing research (Micu et al., 2011). The plethora of various SM platforms today provides ample opportunities for marketers, especially pharmaceutical marketers, to dig data, understand healthcare providers and patient requirements, study enabling factors and barriers in providing and accessing healthcare and customize their marketing communication for better acceptance and impact (Micu et al., 2011). Mulhern echoes the fact that marketing communication changes with digitalization. Digital media also brings in changes from marketing communication practices to understanding consumers. The improved framework for communicating in the digital world includes integrated marketing communications, decisions based on data, cross-media integration and communication with multiple stakeholders (Mulhern, 2009). According to Budden et al. (2011), marketers’ focus on college students to channelize the best methods of marketing communication is based on students’ internet usage information (Budden et al., 2011). Guraya (2016) studied medical students’ usage of social networking sites (SNSs) for educational purposes. The study found that the majority of medical students use SNSs, of which a few use to share academic and educational information through these SNS (Guraya, 2016). For pharmaceutical companies, engaging medical students through SM would be an investment