Reducing Call Volume at Medical Information Centers by Switching to a Web-Based Self-Service Facility—What to Consider? Providing Customers With Digital Medical Information on the Internet

Abstract

Background:

Medical Information Centers (MedInfo Centers) at pharmaceutical companies receive a high volume of requests for product-related information. While this service is generally restricted to working hours, the use of a web-based self-service portal allows provision of information 24 hours a day 7 days a week (24/7).

Methods:

In 2012 Sanofi (Frankfurt, Germany) launched their web-based self-service portal, which provides Medical Information for all Sanofi products in a nonpromotional manner. Here, we present data on the background and evolution of the service over time, as well as the rate of acceptance by pharmacists, physicians, and patients.

Results:

In the pilot phase of portal development (July 2012–January 2013), we provided information such as the summary of product characteristics (SmPC) and a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs). These were subsequently followed by patient information leaflets (PILs), as of February 2013. While SmPCs and FAQs were initially password protected, German drug law allowed us to make the PILs and SmPCs openly available in February 2013. Once content was obtainable without authentication, a good uptake of the online service for accessing both SmPCs and PILs was observed, while FAQs were initially less popular. Subsequent redesign of the user interface, provision of more access options and revision of content based on search engine optimization was able to substantially increase the use of FAQs. The web-based self-service portal led to the number of MedInfo Center requests falling by about 20% within the observation phase, with a corresponding increase in the use of web-based self-service.

Conclusion:

The increasing demand for 24/7 information coupled with the wide accessibility of the Internet has led to a movement toward redirecting information requests received by pharmaceutical companies to the web. We have found that, wherever possible, publishing information in open-access areas and keeping the navigation simple are key factors in the success of this service.