Engaging doctors effectively is one of the most challenging, yet crucial tasks for pharmaceutical companies, MedTech firms, health tech startups, and other healthcare providers. Doctors are busy professionals, bombarded with information, time-poor, and highly selective in what they read, whom they trust, and how they choose to act on any new information.
Drawing from AusDoc’s exclusive studies, including feedback from over 1,615 Australian GPs and specialists across multiple studies, here are five evidence-backed strategies to engage doctors and cut through the digital noise.
1. Deliver clinically relevant value – What doctors say they need
Doctors are eager for pharmaceutical and broader medical content, but only when it serves a real clinical purpose. The 2024 AusDoc survey on ‘information needs in prescribing new treatments’ found that doctors consistently prioritise reading content that directly supports evidence-based prescribing.
When asked what information would be most useful when considering a new treatment, doctors said they need:
- Key evidence from clinical trials (83%)
- Prescribing information (83%)
- Summary of benefits and challenges compared to current treatments (75%)
- Mechanism of action review (61%)
This aligns with findings from another AusDoc study in which doctors were asked “What information types do you need more of, or would like better access to?”
- 70% of Australian doctors selected “Guidelines for patient management and treatment”,
- 61% chose “CPD-accredited learning activities”, and
- 50% selected “Opinions of medical experts (peer-to-peer)” and “trial takeaways”
“I appreciate knowing what is new and ensuring I am not out of date – that’s always a concern to me.”
Tactical Takeaways:
- Anchor messaging in clinical trial results, PBS inclusion, or real-world safety data.
- Include downloadable prescribing guides, comparative charts, or mechanism explainer visuals.
- Provide links to peer-reviewed evidence, not just branded summaries.
2. Embrace Omnichannel – But make it hybrid and doctor-centric
The pandemic ushered in a surge of digital communication, but doctors are now calling for balance. While email remains the most used channel, only 3 in 10 doctors prefer it, and 55% say they want less digital contact from pharmaceutical companies.
What doctors value is flexibility and autonomy:
- 62% of GP engagement with pharma content on AusDoc happens outside traditional hours and in one campaign it reached over 74%.
- 96% say they prefer learning outside patient care time, so it doesn’t affect billable hours.
Doctors prefer to read about new treatments outside of normal working hours as this “… doesn’t interfere with patient care or eat into my billable hours.”
“I prefer educational webinars that I can access from home and play back at a time that suits me.”
“Face-to-face interactions are still key, but I also appreciate accessing online resources in my own time.”
Tactical Takeaways:
Omnichannel engagement must include:
- A mix of face-to-face visits, on-demand education, and digital follow-up.
- Scheduling tools to manage face-to-face rep visits respectfully.
- Format flexibility – video, articles, podcasts, or interactive cases.
- Authenticity matters. Avoid overly scripted KOL appearances. Real stories resonate.
3. Personalisation isn’t a buzzword – It’s a necessity
Doctors overwhelmingly say they want information tailored to their needs. But only 15% believe the content they receive from pharmaceutical companies is personalised.
Why this matters:
- 30% of doctors said that they had unsubscribed from pharma emails in the last 12 months due to a perceived lack of relevance.
- 60% feel overwhelmed by the volume of promotional content being pushed to them digitally.
“Large number of emails and not always relevant to what I wish to learn about.”
Tactical Takeaways:
- Use specialty, clinical interests, and patient demographics to guide content.
- Analyse interaction history to refine future outreach.
- Let doctors opt into specific topics, frequencies, and formats.
4. Prioritise trusted platforms over company branded microsites
Only 40% of doctors visited a pharmaceutical website in the past year and many cited poor design and log in issues, information bias, or distrust as barriers to using it.
In contrast, 84% of doctors said independent (non-pharma) sites are ‘fairly important’ to ‘critical’, and were seven times more likely to choose them over pharma sites.
Implications for pharma and other medically focused brands:
- Partner with respected channels like AusDoc, used monthly by over 33K GPs and specialists.
- Focus on visibility where trust and traffic already exist.
- Decrease login walls, increase open access to critical resources.
- Include easily downloadable patient resources to aid doctor consults.
“I trust information in medical magazines like AusDoc for reliable information.”
Tactical Takeaways:
- Invest in native content on high-trust platforms rather than gated pharma-hosted pages.
- Use third-party validation and endorsements from medical peers to strengthen credibility.
- Ensure content is discoverable on channels doctors already use (e.g., AusDoc, reference tools, medical news).
- Limit overt branding in educational resources to enhance neutrality and trust. Let doctors come to you when the content or tool is compelling enough.
5. Keep it brief, accessible and available on-demand
Doctors are time-poor and overwhelmed. A recurring theme in the AusDoc data is that doctors want concise, summarised content that they can read, watch or engage with on their own schedule.
“A short dot-point summary is always helpful. Have the expanded detail to read when time permits.”
On average, 62% of pharma content engagement on AusDoc occurs outside the traditional working day.
Tactical Takeaways:
- Use of infographics, summary tables, and headline insights.
- Content that’s mobile-optimised and accessible 24/7 for after-hours engagement.
Final thoughts: Rebuilding attention and engagement
Doctors are clear in what they want: trustworthy information, delivered respectfully, in the right format and channel at a time and place that suits them.
They’re also increasingly selective in who they engage with. The opportunity lies in crafting doctor-first strategies that combine clinical depth, personalisation, and omnichannel agility, all while respecting time, attention, and professional autonomy.
This isn’t about more information. It’s about better-quality engagement.
Contact us
Looking to run a campaign and engage doctors with confidence? For further information, contact us to discuss how AusDoc can support you with the reassurance you need.
Source:
How are digitally overwhelmed doctors responding to the omnichannel revolution? – AusDoc Whitepaper (Jan 2024)
Information needs in prescribing a new treatment – AusDoc survey, Oct 2024 (n = 312)
Information sources for GPs in the new COVID world – AusDoc survey, Oct 2022 (n = 244)
Information sources for doctors in a digital world – AusDoc survey, Jan 2024 (n = 452)
8 tips for engaging busy doctors with your digital content – AusDoc Infographic, 2024 https://www.adg.com.au/resources/8-tips-for-engaging-busy-doctors-with-your-digital-content/
AI in healthcare: Your thoughts on the benefits and risks – AusDoc survey, Jan 2025 (n = 212)
GP Readership survey of independent medical publications in Australia, Nov 2023 (n = 395)
Reuters: HCP engagement transformation trends, 2023
EPG Health: The future of HCP engagement, 2023
Indegene: The digitally savvy HCP global study, 2023
This article was written with the assistance of AI