According to a new survey from Manhattan Research, 45 percent of "ePharma" physicians would like to access pharma product information on their smartphone or iPad, according to firm's ePharma Physician v11.0 study. The study sampled the 87 percent of US physicians whom the firm calls ePharma Physicians, or those who use digital channels for communication with pharma reps and resources. That means about 40 percent of all physicians in the US would like to communicate with pharma reps via mobile devices.

Other statistics from the study include: Physicians use online sources 66 percent of the time to access pharma product information, and 52 percent of ePharma Physicians say that it is important for them to be able to access the same source of pharma product information across PCs, smartphones and tablets.

“Physicians want access to online details and presentations about products on their smartphones and iPads – including experiences which include live elements like live video or voice,” stated Monique Levy, VP of Research at Manhattan Research in a press release. “Getting service and learning on the go seems to come naturally for busy docs.”

Read the full press release below.

According to the new ePharma Physician® v11.0 study from pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research, there is significant physician demand for access to prescription drug information and online promotion programs on smartphones and iPads. The study focuses on the 87 percent (Ed. Note: Manhattan's original release had mistakenly stated "89 percent") of U.S. physicians who are ePharma Physicians, or who use digital channels for pharma resources and connecting with reps.

The following findings from ePharma Physician® v11.0 highlight the importance of considering touch points across multiple devices, including iPads and smartphones, when targeting physician audiences:

Online channels preferred for product information: When ePharma Physicians access pharma product information, on average they want to use online sources two-thirds of the time and to only rely on offline or print materials one-third of the time.

Demand for mobile pharma resources: 45 percent of ePharma Physicians would like to access pharma product information on their smartphone or iPad.

Multidevice access important: 52 percent of ePharma Physicians say that it is important for them to be able to access the same source of pharma product information across all of their screens, including PCs, smartphones and tablets.

“Physicians want access to online details and presentations about products on their smartphones and iPads – including experiences which include live elements like live video or voice,” said Monique Levy, Vice President of Research at Manhattan Research. “Getting service and learning on the go seems to come naturally for busy docs.”

The mobile opportunity for online product information seeking and online promotion is just one piece of the online pharma service model explored by ePharma Physician® v11.0. Other topics include tablet-assisted face-to-face sales interactions; various types of online promotional programs and customer service options; and value-added services such as patient education, financial assistance resources and online sampling. The study also examines the various pathways that ePharma Physicians use to research prescription drug information and how it varies across product maturity.

The study provides competitive metrics for several leading manufacturers, such as AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer, Shire and many more.