Healthcare domain is influenced in the era of digital revolution.Not just awareness of consumer, but it is also a platform for healthcare professionals to share and learn. Presence of consumer and HCPs in digital space gives a lot of opportunities to healthcare marketers to place their product, make rapport and develop trust.

2. The Digital Doctor Study: Scope
Coverage area
Total number of healthcare
practitioners covered1517
317 1200Direct
Interviews
Online & Telephonic
Interviews
The data collected has been analysed and will be
presented in three parts. This report is the first one in
the three-part series.
10Non-
Metros
4Metros
 Cardiology
 Endocrinology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosurgery
 Internal Medicine
 Mumbai
 New Delhi
 Chandigarh
 Kolkata
 Bangalore
Specializations | 19
Cities/Towns | 14
 Paediatrics
 Bariatric Surgery
 Pulmonology
 Cosmetic Surgery
 Psychiatry
 General Surgery
 Hepatology
 Chest Medicine
 Gastroenterology
 Anaesthesiology
 Nephrology
 Ophthalmology
 Orthopaedics
 Critical care
 Hyderabad
 Chennai
 Kochi
 Ahmedabad
 Lucknow
 Patna
 Jaipur
 Pune
 Bhopal

3. Trends
‘Heavy-users’ top the chart among online healthcare practitioners
Internet-savvy Indian healthcare practitioners
Several
times a day
Several times
a week
Once a day
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
47.2%
37.1%
15.7%
72%
28%
Frequent users
(several times a day – several
times a week)
Infrequent users
(once a week – not at all)

4. Are specialists the least net-savvy?
Specialists trailing both GPs and Super-specialists
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Search Info (Google) General Physicians
Specialists
Super-Specialists
91.7%
94%
94.6%
80.4%
62%
78.3%
Professional Networks
(LinkedIn)
GPs
Sp
SS
GPs
Sp
SS
GPs
Sp
SS
GPs
Sp
SS
GPs
Sp
SS
GPs
Sp
SS
GPs
Sp
SS
GPs
Sp
SS
GPs
Sp
SS
Personal Networking
(Facebook)
83.5%
70.2%
86.5%
Online video
(YouTube)
68%
52.4%
59.4%
Twitter 66%
40.5%
67.5%
Blogs/Forums etc 56.7%
35.7%
48.6%
Recommendation
sites
57%
46.4%
51.3%
News portals 58.7%
44%
59.4%
Entertainment
portals
54.6%
40.5%
56.7%
Yahoo Groups/
Slideshare
46%
40.4%
43.2%

5. ‘On-the-go’ usage higher in non-metros
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
On the go (before
and after work)
Between patient
consultations
During patient
consultations
On weekends
54%
23%
42%
9%
4%
17% 19%
66%
Metro
Non Metro
52%26% 69%
58.6%
31.4%
of Indian doctors
use multiple
devices to go
online
of Indian doctors
go online during/
between patient
consultations
of Indian doctors
buy stuff online
(more than
banking and
booking tickets)
of non-metro
doctors are active
on Yahoo groups
and use Slideshare
compared with
of metro doctors
Also we found ...

6. Strategic questions the report answers
 How frequently do Indian HCPs use the online medium?
 Is there a marked difference in online activity: 1) among specialties;
2) between specialists and super specialists; 3) specialists and GPs; 4)metros and
non-metros and 5) govt and private sector HCPs?
 When do HCPs go online?
 What are Indian HCPs’ major online activities ?
 What are the devices HCPs use to connect online?
 How fast are HCPs adapting to the online medium for professional communication?
 How do HCPs view online promotion of drugs and devices by companies?
 What do HCPs expect from the companies in fulfilling unmet needs in professional
communication?
 How do they look at online marketing vis-a-vis product promotion by reps?
 What are the aspects that according to HCPs lend more credence to online
promotion?
 What are their sources for accessing Indian data pertaining to drugs?
 What are the company/product websites HCPs visit?
 Why do HCPs visit company websites?
 How can the fusion of digital media help improve Indian health care scenario,
according to HCPs?
 How do HCPs view informed patients?
 What are the sources HCPs consider credible as far as providing information to
patients is concerned?
 How, do they think, companies can play a role in patient education and awareness
on diseases and therapies via online media?
 Which are the companies they consider best in addressing professional information
needs?

7. What we covered/probed
 Preferred digital device (to go online)
 Purpose of going online
 Frequency of online use
 Search patterns
 Frequent online activities
 Online use for transactions
 Personal networking
 HCPs’ key info sources
 Reasons for use
 Time of online use
 Factors influencing online use
 Major information needs
 Time frequency of various online
activities
 How online use helps in practice?
 Which are the areas online use serves?
 Common professional websites visited
 How often they visit websites of
pharma firms
 Level of trust in company website
information
 HCPs’ dependency on reps to learn
about new products
 Online platforms used for networking
with peers
 HCPs’ referral sources
 Scope of digital media to improve
healthcare in India
 Current level of digital application
 Factors limiting digital use
 Areas where online platforms can be
effectively engaged
 Hurdles in digital penetration
 HCPs’ perception of ‘informed’
patients
 Key sources of patient information
 Patient online research trends—as seen
by HCPs
 Key info needs of HCPs
 HCPs’ expectations from pharma
companies in meeting unmet
professional needs
 HCPs’ general perception on pharma
companies’ digital promotion
 Companies HCPs consider are thinking
beyond professional information needs
 HCPs’ dependency on MRs for crucial
drug info
 HCPs’ level of participation in online
promotion
 HCPs’ preference — online promotion
vis-á-vis sales force
 Brand awareness of HCPs

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