Revisiting the role of traditional, electronic and mobile-based communication channels in the pharmaceutical industry of Lithuania

Abstract

The study investigates communication channels currently used to disseminate medical information and examines perceptions of general practitioners (GPs) about perceived value, perceived reliability and channel usage frequency of traditional and alternative (i.e., electronic and mobile-based) channels. A total of 254 GPs in Lithuania were surveyed. The findings suggest that pharmaceutical companies still rely on sales representatives to disseminate the newest information about prescription drugs to GPs. The results suggest that leading experts (i.e., opinion leaders) in the healthcare industry add significantly to increasing GPs’ intentions to prescribe specific drugs to their patients. Conferences organised by local and international scientific societies are considered to be the most reliable communication channels. Local websites designed for GPs have the highest perceived value among GPs. Further, statistically significant differences among different GPs’ age groups were confirmed regarding channel preference and their perceived reliability: international scientific conferences and international health journals were more popular and perceived as more reliable among younger GPs compared to more senior GPs.