NPs, PAs and RNs Using Digital Content for Info Seeking and Patient Support

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Registered nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) are expected to play increasingly important roles in the healthcare ecosystem in the coming years due to the impending shortage of primary care physicians. NPs and PAs already are a crucial part of healthcare delivery in the United States. Both groups can write prescriptions in all 50 U.S. states. PAs recommend or prescribe more than 330 million pharmaceutical products annually¹ and NPs write more than 590 million prescriptions each year².

“Nurses, NPs and PAs are tech savvy audiences and very involved in patient care and support. Quite a few pharma companies are now pursuing innovative initiatives targeting these groups.”

Pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research recently conducted a survey to assess the role these healthcare professionals play in patient care, and how they are using technology for information seeking, medical decision making and to obtain information and services from pharma.

Taking the Pulse^® Nurses indicates that RNs, NPs and PAs are using digital content sources and are interested in a various types of online support materials from pharma. The following trends highlight some of the key behaviors found in the study:

RNs, NPs and PAs are Active Online: RNs, NPs and PAs surveyed report a median of 10 hours per week spent online for professional purposes.
High Impact on Patient Care: RNs, NPs and PAs indicate they have a significant impact on their patients’ care and leverage digital support materials and tools for patient education.
RNs, NPs and PAs Visiting Pharma Websites: About nine in ten RNs, NPs and PAs online for professional purposes visit pharma product or corporate websites; however, visitation is fairly infrequent.
Opportunities for Tailored Content: More than half of RNs online for professional purposes frequently use digital resources that are intended for physician audiences rather than nurses.

“Traditionally pharma has not prioritized healthcare professionals beyond doctors, but we’re starting to see that change,” said Maureen Malloy, Senior Healthcare Analyst at Manhattan Research. “Nurses, NPs and PAs are tech savvy audiences and very involved in patient care and support. Quite a few pharma companies are now pursuing innovative initiatives targeting these groups.”

Taking the Pulse^® Nurses v11.0 surveyed 1,018 U.S. practicing nurses and physician assistants online in Q2 2011 and can be segmented by more than 20 specialty areas, including diabetes, oncology and cardiology. Key topics in this year’s study include professional activities across multiple screens, such as iPads and smartphones; influence over patients and impact of Internet on their care; and electronic health records and e-prescribing.

Download our NP and PA Data Snapshot

If you would like to download a complimentary data snapshot of key trends among NPs and PAs, please visit http://manhattanresearch.com/News-and-Events/eHealth-Data-Snapshots/NP-PA-Data-Snapshot.

About Taking the Pulse^® Nurses

Taking the Pulse^® Nurses is Manhattan Research’s syndicated market research study and advisory service focused on how U.S. RNs, APRNs (including NPs) and PAs use the Internet and technology for professional purposes, patient care and to obtain information and services from pharma. This year’s study can be segmented by various specialties including: adult care; cardiology; diabetes; emergency medicine; endocrinology; family/GP/internal medicine; gastroenterology; geriatrics or gerontology; infusion; neurology; obstetrics or gynecology; oncology; pain; pediatrics; pulmonology or allergy; surgery; trauma; and women’s health.

For more information about Taking the Pulse^® Nurses, please contact sales@manhattanresearch.com, call 1.888.680.0800, ext 2 or visit http://www.manhattanresearch.com/ttpnurses.

About Manhattan Research

Manhattan Research, a Decision Resources, Inc. company, is a global pharmaceutical and healthcare market research and strategic advisory firm and conducts annual research studies covering eHealth trends among healthcare professionals and consumers. For more information, please visit http://www.manhattanresearch.com.

About Decision Resources, Inc.

Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources, Inc. at http://www.decisionresourcesinc.com.

[1] American Academy of Physician Assistants, Special Data Request, July 2011
[2] American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Special Data Request, July 2011

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