How can digital technologies help pharma meet the changing needs of HCPs and patients?
Digital technologies are transforming the pharmaceutical industry's ability to meet the evolving needs of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients. The key lies in a "human led, AI-powered" approach that combines the strengths of human expertise with innovative artificial intelligence (AI).
Addressing changing HCP and patient needs
The needs of HCPs and patients are rapidly evolving. HCPs grapple with information overload and the increasing demand for personalised care, while patients seek convenient access to information and tailored treatment experiences. Digital technologies, particularly AI, are stepping up to address these shifts.
Personalised engagement
AI-powered tools can surface the right information, at the right time, empowering teams to identify and share valuable insights across functions. This data can be used to create hyper-personalised content and customer journeys, directly addressing the growing demand for tailored healthcare experiences. For example, AI can assist clinical educators to understand the needs of patients better, so they can prepare for more meaningful conversations and addressing their specific needs.
Providing synthesised, actionable information
As the amount of available data continues to increase, so does the universal challenge of making it accessible. From HCPs keeping up with new medical information to a sales leader recognising an emerging trend in the field - the need is widespread. Generative AI can quickly synthesise data from qualitative sources such as rep surveys and identify key trends, empowering pharma teams to react swiftly to emerging trends in rapidly changing scenarios and bring the right information at the right time to HCPs.
Enhanced training and support
Digital technologies are revolutionising how we train and support pharmaceutical representatives and other HCPs. AI-powered tools and virtual reality training experiences offer immersive, adaptive learning experiences, ensuring teams are well-equipped to meet the evolving demands of their roles and provide optimal support to patients.
Freeing up time for tailored patient engagements
By automating routine, non-core tasks, AI allows HCPs to focus on what truly matters – building relationships with their patients. Whether it's answering complex questions or providing emotional support, HCPs can dedicate more time to personalised interactions, ultimately enhancing patient satisfaction and trust.
Enabling rapid response to market changes
Digital technologies enable pharma companies to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and patient needs. AI-powered tools allow teams to spend less time synthesising information and more time acting on it, ensuring that pharma can respond rapidly to current trends and changing patient requirements. This adaptability is crucial in areas ranging from a product launch to the rollout of new content.
Empowering more individuals to contribute to patient care
Generative AI is democratising many capabilities within pharma organisations. We are focused on both providing our teams with these powerful tools and training them on how to best utilise them, including understanding where to trust AI and where human verification is crucial. This empowers more individuals within pharma to contribute to meeting HCP and patient needs.
Offering versatile solutions to complex healthcare challenges
While AI is powerful, it is just one part of a broader toolkit. We advocate for using the right tool for each job, recognising that some problems are better solved with analytics, other technologies, or process improvements. This versatile approach allows pharma to address the diverse and complex challenges faced by HCPs and patients more effectively.
Ensuring the accuracy and trustworthiness of information
While AI offers tremendous benefits, it is crucial to maintain human oversight, especially in sensitive areas like patient conversations and answering questions about medical information. A "human led, AI-powered" approach ensures that we leverage AI's efficiency, while maintaining the accuracy and empathy that only humans can provide. HCPs can feel confident relying on accurate information when making critical treatment decisions for their patients. This empowers them to deliver the best possible care, while also fostering trust with patients who increasingly seek reliable health information online. In turn, patients benefit from receiving accurate and trustworthy medical information, which enables them to make informed decisions about their health and actively participate in their own care journeys.
Ethical considerations
As AI becomes more prevalent in healthcare, it's important to address potential ethical concerns head-on. These include the potential for algorithmic bias, data privacy concerns, and the importance of maintaining human oversight. The "human led, AI-powered" philosophy is a direct response to these challenges. Technology and AI should be a tool that enhances human capabilities, not a replacement for human judgment.
To uphold this philosophy, human oversight should be embedded into every step of AI-driven processes. To guarantee accuracy and fairness, AI-generated outputs should be thoroughly evaluated, while robust data anonymisation methods should be implemented to safeguard patient privacy. Furthermore, comprehensive training on the responsible and ethical use of AI should be prioritised, emphasising the importance of understanding its limitations and potential biases.
To maintain ethical data use, comprehensive data governance frameworks that prioritise patient consent, data security, and transparency are crucial. This includes clear guidelines on how data is collected, stored, used, and shared, as well as mechanisms for patients to access and control their health information.
By prioritising transparency, accountability, and continuous learning, we can strive to harness the power of AI, while upholding the highest ethical standards in healthcare.
Human-led, AI-powered
As we continue to navigate the digital transformation of healthcare, our focus remains on putting people first. By leveraging technology to enhance human capabilities, pharma is enabled not just to meet, but to exceed the evolving needs of HCPs and patients in our increasingly digital world.
