A new breed of physician is entering the health care field, and they are going to change the way doctors interact with patients, peers, and vendors.
A study jointly produced by inVentiv Health agencies, GSW, inVentiv Health PR Group, and PALIO found that millennial physicians (aged 26 to 36) are more likely than older physicians to disregard pharmaceutical sales materials, turn to their peers more often for treatment advice, and engage on more levels with patients than older practitioners.
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"Age really does impact [millennial physicians'] approach to relationships and patient care," said Leigh Householder, chief innovation officer at GSW.
The research reveals that millennial physicians want to be more collaborative with their patients and with other caregivers, and that they are more skeptical than previous generations of information they receive from Big Pharma reps. However, if they get what they consider to be thoughtful and well-sourced materials from a sales rep, they will pay attention.
Among the specific findings of the study:
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66 percent of millennial doctors change their approach according to the age of the patient they're seeing. For instance, the report says, they will suggest to younger patients that they do their own research into managing their health, while with older patients, they will simplify medical care and treatment explanations for clarity's sake;
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42 percent say they turn to their peers for advice first when considering treatment options for patients, while only 18 percent of older practitioners say that's a top priority;
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16 percent of millennial physicians find promotion from pharmaceutical manufacturers to be influential when considering a new treatment, compared to 48 percent of older doctors;
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60 percent are more likely to see a pharmaceutical sales rep if they offer important programs for their patients, such as discussion guides and adherence support;
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81 percent of millennial doctors don't value direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical product advertising "because patients ask for medications they don't need;"
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However, they don't pay nearly as much attention to patient requests for drug therapies as do their older peers (23 percent versus 41 percent, respectively).
"There are certainly shared values [among different generations], but millennial doctors today also are creating an environment that matches up with their generation's unique characteristics and values. These are critical insights that will help shape the future of how pharma engages with physicians," say Jeanine O'Kane, president of inVentiv Health PR Group, U.S.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
