Pharma Sales Reps Must Understand Provider Needs During COVID-19

Although 61 percent of healthcare providers communicate with pharmaceutical sales representatives now more than before COVID-19, they stressed that sales reps fail to understand the real impact of the pandemic, according to a recent Accenture report.

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In the survey of 720 healthcare providers from around the world, 57 percent said pharmaceutical companies do not truly understand how COVID-19 has impacted them. Another 51 percent said the companies do not understand how the pandemic has impacted patients.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person communication is limited, so the relationship between providers and pharmaceutical sales representatives will need to enhance in order to create meaningful relationships, survey authors stated.

Before the pandemic, 64 percent of meetings with pharmaceutical sales representatives were held in person. During the pandemic, this shifted to 65 percent of meetings being held virtually across therapeutic areas.

The majority of healthcare providers want meetings with pharmaceutical representatives to continue to be virtual after the pandemic.  

“COVID-19 has shifted the daily operations of healthcare providers (HCPs) to more virtual interactions with both patients and pharma companies—and with lasting impact. HCPs see great value in more virtual interactions as do patients,” report authors said.

This preference to virtual may be because 43 percent of healthcare providers said they are currently restricting who can enter the office for professional reasons, including pharmaceutical representatives.

A shift to a more virtual model means that pharmaceutical sales reps have to provide more value to healthcare providers to get on their schedules, authors explained. 

With COVID-19 disrupting care delivery, the pharmaceutical sector has the opportunity to reinvent its relationship to healthcare providers and rethink its model for engagement.

Specifically, 82 percent of healthcare providers have seen pharmaceutical companies change what they communicate about in order to include support that meets the most vital needs.

Additionally, healthcare providers have noticed that pharmaceutical support services are more helpful now than before the pandemic.

Specifically, 63 percent of all healthcare providers found that that general practitioners were 80 percent more helpful, cardiologists were 57 percent more helpful, oncologists are 63 percent more helpful, and immunologists were 70 percent more helpful.

Researchers had four suggestions for the pharmaceutical industry to reinvent its relevance now and after the pandemic. 

First, reps should express empathy and recognize the unprecedented human impact today and tomorrow. Pharmaceutical companies should understand the implications of delayed treatments, cost, and mental health challenges, researchers stressed.

Next, reps should expand support services. This means giving support to deliver close patient care and providing instructions for in-home care and details about lab testing location and care sites.

Researchers also believed that experts should create more messages that drive more impact. This will ensure the ability to maintain medication adherence without physical interaction, they said.

Finally, researchers advised pharmaceutical companies to create partnerships with digital health innovations to deliver new solutions that allow providers to continue to support patients.

The pandemic has led both healthcare providers and patients to see great value in more virtual interactions. And providers have seen pharma companies change what they communicate about beyond just product information.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the daily operations of healthcare providers to more virtual interactions with both patients and pharma companies – and with lasting impact,” researchers explained. 

“The services they offer are much more helpful than before COVID-19. Now is the time for pharma companies to redefine their relevance.”