Everyone is talking about how Medical Affairs needs to evolve and innovate by being open-minded and future focused. But how? Below are the latest tips and trends in CyberThink—digital-first strategies that can be implemented today. CyberThink symbolizes a shift from traditional, siloed roles to a more integrated, technology-driven model where Medical Affairs is central to the strategic direction and operational success of life sciences organizations.
AI: Faster, more efficient data analysis
Using AI to assess and analyze the vast array of data that streams across your desk daily is a good way to start automating mundane tasks that take up time and resources that could be better focused on strategy and business objectives. Using technology to identify, compare, and summarize important data can help Medical Affairs strategize ways to personalize patient journeys, address unmet needs in the market, and make stronger, more relevant connections with customers.
- Predictive analytics uses algorithms to predict future outcomes based on historical data.
- Natural language processing helps improve literature search efficiencies through technology that parses, analyzes, and interprets human language.
- Generative AI can create new content that can be used to answer medical questions.
AI has multiple current and future applications for Medical Affairs, despite concerns about data quality, validation, privacy, and complexity around risk management and regulatory compliance. As the technology evolves and many of these issues resolve, AI can go beyond today’s custom dashboard application to streamline many rote activities typical for Medical Affairs. For instance, being able to integrate real-world evidence with other data from multiple sources may provide the opportunity for Medical Affairs to better understand the impact of treatment outside the clinical setting.
Social listening: Better insights make for better interactions
Medical strategies need to encompass both current reality and future aspirations. Digital technology can provide clear information to guide the path forward, offering the ability to separate trends and patterns that signal emerging conditions. Social listening can inform evidence generation, personalize HCP engagement, and expand the audience for scientific communications by identifying relevant audience desires, guiding content strategies, and providing context for scientific data. This requires a clear digital strategy—something only 22% of Medical Affairs professionals reported their organization had. However, there are ways to start realizing the potential of digital without creating a from-scratch approach:
- Partner with your IT department to explore and repurpose digital tools that already exist within your organization.
- Make a business case for digital—focus on cost savings, resource allocation, and ability to respond quickly to evolving market scenarios to best position the company for success.
- Show how digital tools enable Medical Affairs to do their job more strategically and efficiently.
- Get your Medical Affairs colleagues on board by having conversations around how they have used digital to further their roles and start incorporating them into the department.
Partnering with Commercial: Creating a cohesive digital strategy
Commercial has been the driver of digital strategy to date. However, Medical Affairs has the ability and the responsibility to collaborate with Commercial to create a unified presence for external audiences. After all, your customers see you as “one” company. Combining forces to focus on the strategic aims of the company strengthens overall presence. To help integrate efforts, consider the following:
- Reach out to Commercial colleagues and have open conversations about your digital needs. Medical Affairs has often been excluded from dialogues around technology platforms to enable new communications channels. Proactive interactions with IT and Commercial in the early stages of technology decision-making can ensure medical requirements are considered in addition to commercial concerns.
- Make sure Medical Affairs personnel are involved in training to increase technological fluency, understand global and local processes, and can contribute to design thinking that simplifies external audience interactions with your organization.
- Create a cohesive digital strategy with Commercial that focuses on channel optimization. While omnichannel is the buzzword of the day, reassessing which channels are best to accomplish scientific engagement goals and improving those efforts may have more impact in the long run.
As CyberThink becomes more integrated into corporate structure, a next-generation organizational model is closer to reality than ever. More and more companies are realizing that Medical Affairs is no longer a siloed support role, but integral to their larger success. However, there is a long way to go. Defining the value creation areas where Medical Affairs can lead, exploring cross-functional opportunities, and aligning core competencies and skillsets with overall brand and company goals are critical steps forward.
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Laura Perry
Vice President of Marketing