European E-Health Landscape

1. In countries across Europe, pharmaceutical marketers are trying to keep pace
with physicians’ and patients’ increased reliance on technology for health. Both
groups have used the Internet to research medical and prescription drug
information for years, but never before have eHealth activities been so engrained
in their daily lives. A digital health landscape that was once mostly defined by
sporadic searches for health or product terms has now evolved to include a
growing group of individuals who rely on digital media throughout their
professional workdays and healthcare journeys. Physicians now whip out
smartphones at the point of care to reference drug information and patients use online resources for education and
support at multiple points along the disease management continuum. But the challenge for pharmaceutical
marketers is turning these eHealth trends into actionable insights that shape strategies and ultimately impact the
bottom line, especially in an environment with stringent regulations around direct-to-consumer advertising. The
following report looks at some of the top trends in the European eHealth market as a preview of the rich data and
analysis available in Manhattan Research’s European physician and consumer market research and advisory
service products.
Social Networking for Health on the Rise
Health 2.0 is a rising trend in the European eHealth landscape – over two-
thirds of doctors already online are interested in joining physician social
networks and a growing number of patients are using social media as an
outlet for comparing experiences, lending support, and reviewing opinions
on treatments and products. But even though Europeans are consuming
and creating user-generated content for medical purposes, it’s far from the
most dominant resource in the health resource media mix, as overall both
patients and physicians draw from a diverse selection of resources when
making health and treatment decisions. While social media undoubtedly has an important place in pharmaceutical
marketing, marketer enthusiasm for the channel sometimes outweighs the benefits that brands have yet to be able
to gain from this area. Brands shouldn’t dive headfirst into the social media pool before they have a solid
understanding of how their target patient and/or physician audiences use and are influenced by social media.
Manhattan Research’s studies show that social media is more influential for some specialist and disease groups
than others, so the level of priority this channel is given should vary by brand.
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2. Wikipedia Remains a Top Health Resource
Not surprisingly, language is a major factor in determining the websites Europeans visit most often and top online
health destinations vary greatly across the continent. There was one common thread, though, throughout the
countries surveyed in Manhattan Research’s Cybercitizen Health® Europe and Taking the Pulse® Europe studies –
Wikipedia. This collaboratively edited resource contains up-to-date, local content which is ultimately being used by
patients and physicians alike for medical information. In fact, about three-fourths of physicians online use Wikipedia
as a medical resource monthly or more often – and they’re even recommending it to patients. The site plays an
especially critical role in the many countries lacking comprehensive, accredited health portals. Additionally, the
majority of consumers on Wikipedia for health expect pharmaceutical companies to monitor their product entries.
Brand and product information should be accurate throughout entries, but marketers should only go so far as
verifying accuracy and completeness – the removal of true, even if negative, content has caused backlash for some
companies.
Rich Media a Growing Source of Health Information
Over the past few years, some forms of rich media, such as online video, have evolved from “new” media formats to
become mainstream information resources. Increased broadband access, improved content quality, and advanced
mobile technology have all contributed to the growing consumption of rich media by the general population. For
example, the majority of online European consumers watch streaming video on the Internet and there’s a healthy
interest for condition management videos, while nearly half of online European physicians use online videos for
professional purposes. It will be interesting to see how rich media can help pharmaceutical companies better
engage with physicians and patients and if even more advanced types of media, like online gaming, can be brand
enhancers in the future.
Physicians and Patients Discuss Online Health Resources
Though the physician remains the ultimate voice in the physician-patient
relationship, online health content is helping the traditional one-way lecture
evolve into an educated conversation. About half of online European
physicians recommend health websites to their patients. Online content is a
way for marketers to provide physicians and patients with extended resources
that may not fit within the time and space constraints of traditional media.
Brands can become part of the treatment discussion if they make disease
education tools and resources readily available to the patients and physicians seeking them.
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3. Manhattan Research European Studies
Manhattan Research offers two in-depth studies of the European eHealth landscape:
Taking the Pulse® Europe is Manhattan Research’s market research and advisory service focused on how
physicians across Western Europe use the Internet and technology for clinical purposes and for engaging with
pharmaceutical companies. The study was fielded online in Q4 2009 among 1,125 practicing physicians in
Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Key topics include physician adoption, Internet use and
behavior, email communication, smartphone ownership/mobile activities, online journals, virtual conferences, social
networking, health and medical website visitation, search engines, online video, patient education, pharma website
visitation, videoconferencing with reps, electronic detailing, and much more.
Cybercitizen Health® Europe is Manhattan Research’s market research and advisory service focused on how
consumers across Western Europe use digital media and technology for health and treatment information. The
study was fielded online in Q3 2009 among 3,007 consumers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, and
France. Key topics include overall media profile, use and relative influence of health information sources, health and
pharma websites, mobile, search engines, online video, email, social media, online health tools,
condition/prescription medication profile, physician-patient relationship, and much more.
Client deliverables for each product include a reference slide deck, executive management summary deck, strategic
briefing/webinar, physician market trends report, Strategic Insights®, analyst inquiry service, methodology and
summary data tables, client portal, and access to the data in a variety of formats. Also, In addition to a
comprehensive view of the European physician and consumer markets, clients can also segment the data by
specific countries, specialist groups, and therapeutic categories.
For additional product and pricing information, please contact our team
at sales@manhattanresearch.com, call 1.212.255.7775, ext 2., or visit
www.manhattanresearch.com/efp.
Manhattan Research, a Decision Resources, Inc. company, is a pharmaceutical and healthcare market research
and advisory firm focused on the digital trends shaping the future of consumer and physician marketing. Our studies
are updated annually and include Cybercitizen Health®, Cybercitizen Health® Europe, ePharma Consumer®,
Taking the Pulse®, Taking the Pulse® Europe, Taking the Pulse® Asia, Taking the Pulse® Nurses, and ePharma
Physician®. Broad consumer and physician market research can be segmented for over 125 therapeutic and
specialist groups. For product and subscription information, please visit www.manhattanresearch.com, email
sales@manhattanresearch.com or call 1.212.255.7775.
t: 1.212.255.7775 • e: sales@manhattanresearch.com • www.manhattanresearch.com