Study: Physicians Want Access to Pharma Product Info on Mobile Devices

It’s no secret physicians constantly look up prescription drug information. And as it turns out, a growing number of them prefer using their media tablets and smartphones to do so. 

According to the “ePharma Physician v11.0” study conducted by Manhattan Research in the second quarter of 2011 of 1,755 U.S. physicians, there is significant physician demand for access to prescription drug information and online promotion programs via mobile devices.

Survey results revealed 45 percent of digitally minded physicians would like to access pharmaceutical information through their smartphone or iPad, and another 52 percent say that it is important for them to be able to access the same source of pharmaceutical product information across all of their screens, including PCs, smartphones, and tablets.

“Physicians want access to online details and presentations about products on their smartphones and iPads - including experiences which include live elements like live video or voice,” said Monique Levy, vice president of research at Manhattan Research, via press release. “Getting service and learning on the go seems to come naturally for busy docs.”

Manhattan Research’s findings are consistent with our own 2011 Technology Survey of more than 1,000 physicians and practice administrators, conducted in the second quarter. That survey revealed as many as one in five practices have at least one physician using an iPad or other media tablets.

As such, the market for applications - including ones that provide prescription drug information and drug-drug allergy interaction info - has grown.

Today, there are iPad apps to help doctors identify pills, check on drug interactions, and so on. Perhaps you’re already using some of them.

We’d like to hear from you. What kinds of smartphone and media tablet apps are you using? Which ones do you recommend? Post your response below.