Doctors say pharma rep details are stale, need updating for digital age

• The “stale detail” phenomenon is even more prominent among certain specialties. For example, medical oncologists who see reps say that 68% of the time, their reps show them info they’ve already seen, and dermatologists say the same of 62% of details. 
• Today’s physicians are now adept at finding clinical info online, as they need it – and reps that focus too much time on basic product and promotional info risk boring them with info they already knew. 74% of physicians use search engines weekly or more*, and 52% use pharma digital resources regularly, with product-related info being the most accessed website resource. 
• Reps must evolve their details to stay relevant and provide utility to docs, and showing non-promotional resources on tablets can help. 63% of physicians agreed that in-person meetings with sales reps are more valuable when resources not related to the product are shown.**

• The study revealed a surprising dip in tablet use by reps this year, with 67% of physicians seeing reps reporting they having participated in tablet rep details in 2017 – down from 74% in 2013. 
• However, study data shows that tablets can improve the rep detail experience and drive post-meeting digital engagement -- especially when used to show highly influential content such as patient education and support resources. 35% of physicians were “very satisfied” with their interactions with reps using tablets, where 24% were very satisfied after meeting with reps sans tablets.***

• Despite industry enthusiasm for rep-triggered email software (e.g., Veeva), only 12% of physicians said they had emailed with their rep in the past six months. More than a third (36%) said they wanted to, indicating a significant gap.
• Similarly, just 9% of physicians are currently using remote detailing programs, such as a self-detailing app or click to chat, while 35% are interested in doing so.