The eHealth Market in Germany: Assessing the Online Needs of Physicians and Consumers

Introduction

The eHealth market in Germany, driven by patients’ and physicians‹ demands for online services, and by reforms to the healthcare system, will provide opportunities for pharmaceutical companies to reach physicians and patients through online channels. In particular, there is potential for near-term growth in the eCME market, and for long-term growth in the ePrescribing and eCompliance markets.

Scope

• Examines the eHealth market in the EU and Germany from a physician and patient perspective, and identifies future directions for market growth
• Consumer and physician opinions on their Internet usage, information requirements, and current online tools are presented in a PowerPoint Slidepack
• The results of Datamonitor‹s survey with physicians and consumers in Germany are provided in an Excel Datapack

Highlights

Many pharmaceutical companies have been slow to develop consumer-facing online properties, particularly in the European Union where direct-to-consumer advertising laws are in place. As such, an average of 21% of surveyed consumers from Germany who turn to the Internet for drug and disease information access sites intended for US audiences.

Greater Internet penetration has had a significant and lasting effect on the patient-physician relationship. Consumers from Germany were found to be equally as likely as or more likely than the consumers in other markets surveyed to have asked their doctor about a specific treatment, medication or symptom because of something read online.

Primary care physicians (57%) strongly agreed that there is sufficient medical information provided in their native language. In contrast, many cardiologists (37%) and oncologists (47%) surveyed disagreed. This highlights a clear opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to provide German-language sites targeting cardiologists and oncologists.



Reasons to Purchase

• Understand physicians‹ and consumers‹ perspectives on adopting key technologies within the eHealth market
• Compare physicians‹ perspectives across three key groups of prescribers: primary care physicians, cardiologists and oncologists
• Identify which eHealth initiatives have the greatest potential for growth in the short-term, and which require a longer-term investment