What do HCPs want from MSLs? They want their specific situation to be understood. They want to have deep conversations with MSLs who deeply understand not only the TA and disease state but also the broader context. This means having knowledge of what is happening in their practice, the challenges they face, how to provide better care for their patients, how to make better decisions for patients, and more. In other words, they want to be seen and understood.

What they don’t want is a generic data dump. This doesn’t help them make treatment decisions. They want the information tailored to their situation. They want help making sense out of the massive amount of new data and treatments.

What HCPs are Facing

HCPs and patients are facing an overwhelming amount of complex data and information that is difficult to decipher. This is the opportunity for MSLs to give HCPs what they want: simplified information in a way that helps them make better treatment decisions.

In a recent Trilations webinar on Unveiling Impact of Field Medical, Paul Burton, CMO Amgen, Katy Curran, Medical Impact Lead Europe UCB, and Pamela Graas, Global Field Medical Excellence Lead Takeda, discussed how to have meaningful engagements with HCPs. Paul Burton recommended thinking from the patient’s perspective. Imagine you have been diagnosed with a disease and are stressed and worried. If you go on Google (which everyone does) it is almost impossible to figure out what to do. The same goes for HCPs trying to help their patients.

HCPs and patients want help making sense out of complicated information and what they should do. This is the opportunity for Medical Affairs.

How MSLs Can Give HCPs What They Want

The answer is it depends. This is no single one way to do this. Every HCP and MSL is different. Were you hoping for a silver bullet here 🙂? It takes time, patience, and building strong relationships. At the foundational level, MSLs need to uncover the context around that HCP’s world.

Tips for How to Give HCPs Want They Want

Here is a simple framework for MSLs to start uncovering what their HCPs want:

1. Understand as much as possible about their practice/situation. Put yourself in their shoes.

2. Identify pain points and challenges. What are their gaps? Where do they need help? What’s confusing them? These are also likely insights!

When you start to understand what your HCPs want then it becomes easier to tailor based on their needs. Katy Curran reminds us that it’s important to ask and not to make assumptions. As Pamela Graas mentioned, remember that HCPs are seeking partners to help navigate the complex landscape.

Bonus Tips

Start taking note of what works for you. When do you feel understood? Analyze that more deeply. Is that something you can apply with your HCPs?

Have more discussions with your team. Ask your team and manager. What has worked to identify the needs of XYZ type of HCP? How are they building relationships?

Pay attention to HCP engagement surveys from pharma marketing teams. Don’t just dismiss them because they are from commercial. There can be interesting nuggets that help you think of ways to compliantly better understand your HCPs.

A simple Google search revealed this Ad Board from Veeva on what HCPs want. There are tons of resources like this out there!

Conclusion: What HCPs Want From MSLs

Your HCPs are buried under a mountain of admin tasks and have a massive amount of info and data coming at them at the same time. What HCPs want from MSLs is for them to have a deep understanding of their needs and present information in a simple way that helps them make meaningful treatment choices.

How do you better understand what your HCPs need?