Unlocking the Impact of Medical Affairs: Overcoming Challenges in Defining and Measuring Success
Introduction
The Medical Affairs Professional Society Content Hub contains over 200 resources discussing the impact of medical affairs, yet defining and measuring this impact remains a challenge for many teams. Thought Leader Engagement is a vital component of medical affairs, but without a clear understanding of the intended impact, it is difficult to demonstrate the value and success of these efforts. In this blog post, we outline a solution to help medical affairs teams better define and measure their impact, with a focus on Key Opinion Leader (KOL) engagement.
Need help measuring thought leader engagement for your medical affairs team? Our comprehensive guide provides actionable tips and strategies.
Define the Impact: Creating a Scientific Journey
To begin, clearly define the impact that medical affairs should be delivering. This should be the overarching goals that all teams in medical affairs are working toward. Generally, this is best expressed as a scientific journey - a set of beliefs that the medical community would have if they aligned with your scientific narrative, ultimately leading to guideline-based treatment decisions.
Start by defining the pillars of this journey and then putting them in sequence. Although every treatment and disease will have their own pillars, a typical sequence might begin with a belief in "There is an Unmet Need," progressing to "better clinical outcomes," then "There is a class of treatment that leads to these outcomes," and finally to the safety and efficacy of a particular treatment.
After sequencing these pillars, create anchor statements that describe what a healthcare professional (HCP) would say if they were negatively aligned, partially aligned, or fully aligned with each statement. This calibration process is crucial for assessing your organization's progress.
Measuring KOL Engagement Impact
Once the scientific journey is defined, you can start exploring the contribution that KOL engagement has on these outcomes, which we call IMPACT. Generally, it starts with prioritizing the right KOLs, HCPs, and institutions to engage with (see our blog posting on the broadening segmentation that medical affairs is responsible for). Then, determine the adequate relationship level with these segments to engage with them frequently enough to make an impact. The frequency of engagement may vary among different segments.
Next, focus on how your team uses engagement opportunities. Assess the percentage of each segment that has been made aware of each pillar in your journey. Following this, accurately capture the alignment each HCP has with your scientific journey and determine the percentage of these experts for which you understand why they have their beliefs, captured through insights collection (see our blog on insight generation).
Finally, consider evidence – the objective outcomes that these beliefs lead to. Depending on your team, you may have direct impact measures like changes in diagnosis, changes in the class of treatment utilized, or changes in tests utilized in diagnosis. Other measures may include advocacy aligned with your scientific narrative, such as what is said on the podium, share of scientific voice, or what is said online.
Planning & Coaching Metrics
In addition to impact measures, it's essential to capture planning and coaching metrics. These metrics enable teams to plan and coach their members to achieve this impact. They include measuring the use of capacity, quality, and outcomes (see our blog on coaching measures). Also, configure your CRM solution for easy reporting and use a user-friendly reporting solution like Kwello to help tell your story and achieve your results.
Conclusion
By clearly defining the impact of medical affairs through a scientific journey and implementing a comprehensive strategy for measuring KOL engagement, medical affairs teams can overcome the challenges of demonstrating their value and success. Utilizing the right tools and processes, such as Kwello KOL Engagement & Insights solution, can further streamline this process and help teams save an average of 15 hours every month. Embracing this approach can unlock the full potential of KOL engagement initiatives and contribute to the overall success of medical affairs.
Contact us today to learn how we can help define and measure success for Medical Affairs teams.
Overcoming the Common Challenges in Measuring Thought Leader Engagement for Medical Affairs Teams
Medical Affairs teams often struggle to measure Thought Leader Engagement (TLE) due to challenges like setting measurable objectives, tracking engagement activities, and utilizing appropriate metrics. To overcome these challenges, teams can incorporate feedback from KOLs, use technology for measurement, and establish a standard framework for measuring TLE. Learn more about measuring Thought Leader Engagement for Medical Affairs teams.
Mastering CRM Solutions in Medical Affairs: Maximizing Data Collection and Impact Reporting for KOL Engagement
The use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions can enable Medical Affairs teams to efficiently collect and analyze KOL data to enhance their engagement strategies. By leveraging CRM solutions, teams can increase their productivity and generate insights to create impactful KOL engagement plans. Learn more about maximizing impact reporting on KOL engagement.