• by Ray Schultz , August 1, 2018

Pharma and medical device companies have a surefire way of reaching doctors. 

Email. That’s their favorite channel, according to the Annual Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Physician Preferences Survey, a study and infographic published in Medical Marketing & Media.

Email is listed as a preferred channel by 60% of the doctors surveyed. The second choice, sponsored meetings, is selected by 38%.  

Going down the list, 32% look to medical journals, 30% to sales reps, 23% to direct mail and 11% to pharma/device company websites.

Of the doctors polled, 37% read some of the emails sent by pharma/medical device companies, and 37% read most or all. Only 18% read none. 

On average, 57% have to receive two to three times before they act.  Ten percent have to see it only one time, and 21% more than five times. In addition, 12% say it tales four to five times.  

The study concludes that “doctors remain OK with hearing from pharma and medical device marketers — providing those marketers approach them via mostly non-personal means.”