How can pharma research have better reach and engagement
How can pharma and medical affairs researchers know if their publications are reaching the intended audiences: healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients? And, how do they know if these audiences are engaging with the content? That was what a recent webinar we hosted in partnership with Fierce Pharma Magazine titled “Maximizing Impact in Medical Affairs: Reveal Share of Voice and Pinpoint Engaged HCPs and Future Leaders” looked to address.
Speakers, Mike Taylor, Head of Data Insights at Digital Science, and Dr Carrie Brubaker, consultant in Medical Affairs & Communications Strategy discussed the importance of looking beyond the usual suspect—the journal impact factor–- and getting a better grasp of understanding HCP and patient sentiment by tapping into online audience engagement. They traced the history of impact back to the 1960s to explore various paths in understanding the reach and engagement in scientific research up to the present day. (Read more, in the Altmetric blog article: A data-driven planning approach to improve patient outcomes)
Image: Mike Taylor and Carrie Brubaker during the webinar held on May 22, 2024
Going beyond the impact factor
When evaluating a high-impact journal, people often focus only on the journal impact factor. This emphasis on impact factor made sense in an era of paper-based journals housed in libraries. “If we think about that, it means that you have to have the right library card to go in there and read the paper. You have to have an academic standing, you need to have access to a library, which many HCPs of course don’t have. So there’s a lot of privilege that’s built into ideas around the journal impact factor.” said Mike.
Mike also mentioned that many professionals in the pharmaceutical industry say that even Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) aim to be published in the top journals with high impact factors, and that seems to be the only metric that counts when it comes to journal selection. “I am absolutely struck with this idea that we use more metrics to determine the purchase of a $20 kitchen blender than we do to position our $100,000 manuscript.” said Mike.
Data driven decision making
According to Carrie, with changing times and a move away from the paper-based journals and the entry of digital formats and social media, pharma and medical affairs professionals are now looking at how to venture beyond the “top three” journals. The key challenge is how they can make a well-informed decision on their next steps, rather than randomly selecting journals. “A question that often comes through is, well, how do we start exploring journals beyond the top three or why our work didn’t get accepted at our top choice. How can we make an informed decision about where to go next as opposed to just picking journals out of a hat? And it’s important to know that there are now ways to make that decision in a more data-driven way,” said Carrie.
To know more about how to go beyond the impact factor and select the right journal and moreover understand what other metrics to tap into for gauging reach and engagement, tune in to the on-demand session of the webinar.