Over 1.6M digital conversations reveal how understanding the difference in patients’ perceptions of doctors and pharmacists can yield great results in business strategies.
THE CONTEXT
Healthcare providers play an essential role in a patient’s health journey throughout the entirety of their life by educating patients on their personal health and providing services to optimize their wellbeing.
The term “healthcare provider” (or “HCP”) encompasses the network of professionals equipped to provide health-related care and services to their patients. HCPs can specialize in a variety of different roles - some having more interaction with patients than others - though each HCP is an imperative asset to our overall health and wellness.
Although some HCPs see their patients more often and have more in-depth interactions, HCPs are not in competition with one another. Instead, quite the opposite. A patient’s HCP network represents a unity of various health professionals that indirectly work together to fill the gaps in an area where the patient is in need of a specific form of care or service. HCPs work as a unit to optimize a patient’s health in every aspect while interacting with each other very minimally - creating a patient-centric approach to healthcare.
Simultaneously, just as every HCP holds a unique role in assisting a patient’s healthcare journey, patients form a unique perception towards specific HCPs based on their interactions and specific needs.
In order to better understand patients' different perspectives towards their HCPs, specifically doctors and pharmacists, CulturIntelTM leveraged its AI-powered methodology to understand people's different perceptions of doctors and pharmacists based on their digital peer-to-peer conversations.
ABOUT THE STUDY
To better understand the different perceptions towards doctors and pharmacists, the AI-powered market research tech company, CulturIntelTM, harvested over 1.6 million digital peer-to-peer conversations about doctors and 84,000 conversations about pharmacists between April 2021 and April 2022.
Using its proprietary algorithm powered by artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and big data tools, CulturIntelTM mined all available public domain digital discussions available throughout the timeframe to structure and cluster patterns in public opinion, as well as define how the public perceives doctors and pharmacists differently. The methodology used to understand these mindsets arguably represents one of the most authentic sources of insight; not depending on a survey or poll, but rather on the authentic voice of the people.
THE ROLE OF PHARMACISTS IN A PATIENT’S JOURNEY
Pharmacists are most well known for their ability to fill and manage a patient’s medication, though the realm of pharmacists’ abilities goes much further than the drugstore register.
Beyond filling prescriptions, pharmacists also work to ensure against negative reactions in various prescriptions, provide flu shots and vaccinations for patients, and complete administrative tasks such as keeping strict records and files on each patient.
For diverse communities, pharmacists sometimes act as a surrogate doctor that people see more than their HCPs. The frequency of the interactions with pharmacists that may more likely be from the same community as Hispanic and Black people than HCPs also creates a sense of familiarity.
According to CulturIntel’sTM data, most patients are very positive about their pharmacists, especially diverse segments over the age of 50, as they feel their pharmacists understand them and are able to provide them with emotional support. Interestingly enough, among Hispanic and Black people, Pharmacists do not seem to suffer from the perception that they are being “biased”, showing an unfair prejudice towards diverse communities. This is all the most interesting, as on the other hand, HCPs are deemed biased in their interactions with diverse patients due to their experiences and also historical injustice in the healthcare system. For these communities, Pharmacists could then become a gateway to foster more trust towards the healthcare system and drive better health outcomes as a result.
UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE DOCTOR
A patient’s relationship with their doctor is unique to the patient, their experiences, and their relationship with the healthcare system overall.
Social determinants of health, or the sociocultural environment of a patient that impacts their access to equitable healthcare, plays a large role in how a patient views their health network - especially their doctors.
CulturIntel’sTM study reveals that various patient segments have mixed feelings about their doctors for a variety of reasons. Most segments are mostly negative towards their doctors when they feel their doctors are rude or lack a genuine connection. As mentioned above, for Hispanic and Black communities, HCPs are also seen negatively when they display a certain bias while serving those communities, impacting patients’ trust in their HCP and the healthcare system in general. Ensuring cultural competence among HCPs who often are not from diverse communities becomes paramount in helping correct this perception of prejudice and yield better health outcomes.
However, patients can be positive about their doctors when they feel that they are in the hands of someone supportive and friendly.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU LEARN FROM THE STUDY?
One of the main takeaways from the study is how imperative it is for healthcare-related campaigns to be leveraging more than one type of HCP in their strategy and outreach, especially when equipped with the knowledge of how different HCPs can be perceived in the eyes of the patient.
Other learnings from the study include:
- How age and ethnicity play a role in how patients view their HCP,
- Which soft skills and hard skills doctors and pharmacists need to create a good relationship with their patient, and
- How to leverage these insights and incorporate doctors and pharmacists more seamlessly into marketing strategies.
