2022: five ways tech will impact the Life Sciences Industry
Stephen Hoelper is President, North America of Doceree, the first global network of HCP-only platforms for programmatic messaging. Doceree is aiming to address the acute problem of rising cost of healthcare by bringing in efficiency and effectiveness in messaging to healthcare professionals by life sciences brands on digital platforms with methodical use of data and creativity.
Stephen has experience throughout his career conceptualising and realising healthcare go-to market strategies for start-ups and Fortune 50 companies.
Here, he shares with Healthcare, his predictions for 2022.
The landscape of the life sciences industry has transformed during the pandemic as the emphasis towards digital initiatives stood at the forefront. While telehealth utilisation has stabilised at levels 38 times higher than before the pandemic, the sector has continued its progression towards the integration of more sophisticated technologies throughout the online ecosystem. Whether it’s establishing the foundation for communications to healthcare professionals (HCPs) in the metaverse, voice-activated assistants cultivating more meaningful connections or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introducing new policies, the outlook for 2022 is going to prominently shape the way future initiatives will benefit from the virtual solutions being developed for the life sciences market.
Life sciences brands will prosper in the metaverse
Virtual reality (VR) technologies have previously provided a valuable educational asset for the professional development of prescribers. The use of simulators in the field have captured real-life operating room conditions for healthcare professionals. The intricacies of deploying VR programmes in the past will now embolden the life sciences industry to be a leader in the metaverse with HCP interactions being enhanced with a more personal connection. Prior experience with VR will be beneficial in 2022 as life sciences brands will be early adopters to implement educational resources for HCPs in the metaverse. The well-informed background with VR solutions will enable organisations to proceed quickly to utilise the metaverse effectively during the early stages of the platform.
The HCP experience within telehealth platforms will blossom
The sophistication of telehealth platforms will rise in 2022. The point-of-care ecosystem is going to be an invaluable asset that life sciences marketers will emphasise as a priority to reach HCPs via the virtual medium. To elevate digital communications with prescribers, life sciences organisations will be investing resources into data analytics as a tool to identify optimal moments when interactions are shared with medicals professionals that garners the greatest outcome.
Further, the use of mail order diagnostics will advance the dialogue HCPs have with their patients virtually following the results of the prescribed test to diagnose their condition. As 2022 progresses, the patient’s experience will reap the benefits of the integration of data analytics during online exchanges with prescribers. The advanced communication solutions will deliver higher script lift and first-fill rates by better understanding an HCP’s behavior and their messaging preferences within telehealth platforms. In addition, the progression of pharmacogenomics will boost medication adherence and reduce adverse drug reactions by tailoring the prescribed treatment based on the patient’s genetic makeup.
Wearables and digital therapeutics will spark innovation for virtual patient care
The expansion of the telehealth market will spread to the importance of wearables and digital therapeutics to enhance online medical care. The increase of at-home diagnostics and medical equipment is going to further evolve the telehealth space. With the virtual-first approach of patients to conveniently connect with their HCP, data via digital therapeutics and wearable devices will have an integral role in documenting data pertaining to a patient’s health for their prescriber. Innovations throughout 2022 will continue to advance the market for new mobile health solutions that deepens interactions between an HCP and their patient with essential information accessible for prescribers to diagnosis their patient and communicate customise therapies based on the individual’s medical history.
Voice-activated assistants will elevate support for medication adherence
The utilisation of voice-activated assistants has only begun to influence the life sciences sector. In 2022, voice-activated assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa, are going to strengthen the HCP—patient relationship by delivering a superior understanding of the patient’s needs. An HCP will become more knowledgeable about their patient’s actions via voice-activated assistants, which will lead to an uptick in care with copious monitoring capabilities available to examine behaviors for medication adherence. With these data-based learnings, prescribers will have greater intel to guide the way a prescriber interacts with their patient to ensure the individual is following the recommended therapy.
The FDA will introduce real-world data policies
Following the open comment period, the FDA will introduce legislations to establish a framework for sourcing real-world data from electronic health records (EHRs) and medical claims to formulate policies for evaluating real-world evidence. The accelerated adoption of digital platforms by the life sciences sector during the pandemic will lead the FDA to transform the infrastructure of how real-world data sources will be utilised in the future to validate science-based decisions.
In 2022, regulations will set forth the industry standards for companies to adhere to when validating already approved drugs with real-world evidence, while maintaining measures to protect the patient’s privacy.
The outlook is bright for the life sciences category with innovative technologies that will formulate improved communications whether it be in the metaverse, a point-of-care network or via a voice-activated assistant. As the digital health environments progress in 2022, the HCPs will benefit from the utilisation of advanced solutions that will deliver messages that suit their needs throughout the online ecosystem. While digital resources will improve a patient’s visit with their prescriber, the future HCP - patient relationship will strengthen from the introduction of the latest technologies that will lead to better health outcomes.
