Big pharma and the tech industry are teaming up the revolutionize the healthcare industry. There has never been a time where the access to information and understanding of our bodies have been greater.

How is tech impacting the healthcare industry?

This article will delve into three of the biggest changes:

  • Communication and education through apps & wearables
  • Online pharmacies
  • Modern marketing methods and content channels

The doctor will see you now…

 

On-Demand Testing & Consultation

Within the palm of our hands is a tool to avoid waiting rooms and copays – a smartphone. These apps put you in touch with healthcare providers to receive advice, opinions, and even prescriptions.

Popular apps include:

  • First Opinion
  • HealthTap
  • Urgent Care
  • Doctor on Demand
  • PlushCare

As with anything: there are concerns.

Doctor “visits” through apps and online portals should not replace seeing them in-person. The necessity for lab work remains. Likewise, it’s important to verify any suggestion or prescription by researching and confirming the drug through an online Pill Finder after picking them up from the pharmacy.

The IoT healthcare sphere is yet another interesting & exciting development in personal health. The market is set to reach $400 billion by 2022. These IoT (Internet of Things) tech includes wearables for tracking and providing data to improve areas like sleep, exercise, vision, and temperature.

Online Access to Prescriptions (and More)

The borders of prescription access have been removed due to ease of online shopping. Our access to prescription (and non-script) drugs are no longer blocked due to geographical locations. This results in inexpensive options for those unable to afford the skyrocketing healthcare prices and alternatives that may fall into a gray area for prescriptions.

Access is available around the world whether it’s:

Nowadays, people can buy their prescription medicines from reputable pharmacies with existing ecommerce platforms. If you have a prescription for antihypertensive medication, antibiotics, or any drug you need, you can buy them conveniently through an online Canadian pharmacy or any other virtual pharmacy. 

Online pharmacies usually offer the lowest price because they’re able to save much from overhead costs compared to physical pharmacies. In addition, reputable online pharmacies have exceptional customer service and are certified by regulatory agencies and respected organizations, such as the International Pharmacy Association of British Columbia or IPABC.   

These online alternatives have the potential to save thousands of dollars every month/year for life-saving medications. A word of advice: Always take the time to verify the legitimacy of the experience and customer satisfaction of the online pharmacies and destinations. Sometimes a deal is too good to be true – you’ll want to make sure you’re right especially since it’s your health on the line.

Non-Personal Promotions (NPP) Campaigns

Physicians have increasingly begun to say “no” when it comes to dealing with pharmaceutical sales representatives since it takes away time from seeing patients. The sales rep industry is in a decline but pharma hasn’t fully changed their tone with pushing products. Instead, they’ve moved to non-personal promotions to deliver information to health care professionals through digital means.

NPP is done through a variety of means:

  • Online learning platforms
  • Live video and text chat
  • Email newsletters
  • Dedicated health portals

When it comes to online learning platforms, pharmaceutical companies embrace machine learning (ML) to reach out to healthcare professionals, like doctors. On the other hand, health portals are accessible and convenient for doctors to access online if they need to find more information about pharmaceutical products, as well as the latest news.  

Online learning platforms and health portals enable physicians to check the latest updates about a pharmaceutical company’s products or services, without having to talk to a sales representative personally. 

Like telemedicine that uses video calling and text chat, pharmaceutical companies also use these media to reach out and promote products to physicians and other healthcare professionals. In addition, email newsletters are now seen as a valuable tool of professional communication with doctors nowadays, especially during this COVID pandemic.  

The benefit to the healthcare industry is A) it gives a multi-channel outreach to reach physicians, B) works in tandem with offline channels, C) tailors’ information to the specifics of the physician, and D) is measurable to improve success rates.

The adoption of NPP campaigns has come about due to the proliferation and adoption of smartphones and tablets used by health care professionals. It’s commonplace to find practitioners using two to three devices at any given time. Thus, the med industry has evolved in tech to deliver vital patient and drug information at the tip of the finger.

Conclusion

Healthcare is a multi-trillion dollar industry so it’s no wonder they’re willing to adapt and lead the charge with modern tech trends. Match this with the entry of the tech industry and we’re bound to see the developments in technology grow at phenomenal rates.

How the two mega industries complement another? You’ve just learned three. Perhaps you would like to share what you’ve learned? Leave a comment below.