From prescription audits to patient journeys: Insights transforming India's healthcare landscape

Experts gathered in a webinar hosted by MRSI, discussing the role of marketing and research in the healthcare industry.

The healthcare industry operates in a distinct landscape compared to other sectors, with unique marketing and research considerations. Whilst industries such as fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) may have a direct consumer base, the pharmaceutical industry is far more complex, serving healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients alike. As Sunder Muthuraman, executive vice president of Ipsos MMA, explained, "The industry stands at Rs 5.4 Lakh crores, and spends about Rs 2,000 crores in marketing research. While medicines are not used every day by all of us, it's still about half, or more than half the size of FMCG, which is very, very large."

The numbers are specifically about the pharmaceutical industry, which constitutes only 20% of the healthcare industry. 70% of the industry is formed by the hospitals in the services they offer, and a remaining 10% is from Medtech and others.

It was against this backdrop that the Market Research Society of India (MRSI) organised a webinar, bringing together a panel of experts to discuss the transformative role of marketing and research in the dynamic healthcare industry. The panel, moderated by Muthuraman, featured Amitabh Mishra, head of insights and analytics at Dr. Reddy's Laboratories; Gauri Pathak, country service line leader for healthcare at Ipsos; Praful Akali, founder and managing director of Medulla Communications; and Dr. Sanjoy Mitra, founder and managing director of SMSRC.

Transition from prescription audits to electronic medical records

Dr. Sanjoy Mitra provided a historical perspective on the evolution of prescription data research, explaining how the industry initially relied on manual prescription data analysis in 1977, later transitioning to electronic medical record (EMR) data in 1986 to enhance accuracy and granularity. As he stated, "Subsequently, in 1986 when I joined, the industry tried to move from manual analytics to EMR data, or digitalising the prescription data to make it more accurate and specific to understand the trends and behaviour of different doctor segments for different disease areas." This shift allowed the industry to gain deeper insights into physician prescribing patterns and behaviours.

Patient journey mapping and patient-centric strategies 

Gauri Pathak emphasised the importance of understanding patient journeys and treatment flows to inform patient-centric strategies. She explained, "Typically here, two types of research become relevant. The first one is the patient journey research, which tends to be framed as describing how individual patients experience a condition and its treatment." This research helps identify key stakeholders, understand the emotional experiences, and map the treatment continuum to support HCPs (Healthcare Professionals) and position brands effectively.

Pathak also explored the complexities of physician decision-making, which goes beyond simply following guidelines. As she stated, "While decision-making about treatments is governed by guidelines, medical guidelines, a lot of factors come into play such as efficacy, disease progression, patient requests, and key opinion leader recommendations that influence a physician's treatment choices.” Additionally, Pathak discussed the importance of understanding how doctors perceive brands and the role of sales representatives in influencing prescribing behaviours.

Bridging gaps in disease awareness and management 

Amitabh Mishra shared insights from a Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) study conducted by his team, which revealed that a significant proportion of consulting physicians (60%) did not perceive a connection between diabetes and itch, while only 10% acknowledged the co-existence of the two conditions. Mishra stated, "60% of consulting physicians thought there is no connection between diabetes and itch, only 10% doctors acknowledge that there is a coexistence of diabetes and itch, and 30% of doctors were not sure if there is a link." This eye-opening finding led to the development of a targeted campaign that aimed to bridge this gap in disease awareness and management.

Insights-driven creative campaigns

Praful Akali, drawing from his experience in both the client-side and the agency world, showcased the power of insights-driven creative campaigns. As he explained, "Literally, once we had the insight, the creative and communication literally wrote itself." Akali highlighted two successful examples that authentically represented the perspectives and experiences of the target audience, underscoring the importance of incorporating genuine insights at every stage of the creative process.