Transforming in-person research to virtual

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Transforming your in-person research to a virtual setting can seem impossible or, at the very least, challenging. But, it can be done! With 30 years’ fieldwork experience, we are uniquely positioned to deliver creative, reliable, efficient solutions.

Here are three examples of recent client projects:

Printed Homework Materials

  • 18 Interviews: Dermatologists, Patients & Caregivers
  • Triads and Individual discussions about Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis
  • We mailed the printed homework materials to each patient/caregiver and included a return mailer.

Collage Creation

  • 12 Psoriatic Arthritis Patients
  • 2-Hour Virtual Focus Groups (4)
  • We sent poster board, post-it notes, pens and Fedex return labels to complete a collage during the virtual focus group and return to us.

Device Testing

  • 30 Diabetes Nurse Educators, Retail Pharmacists, Endocrinologists and Primary Care Providers
  • 90-Minute Focus Groups and 60-Minute Individual Video Interviews (mix)
  • We shipped a diabetes pen and uncannulated needles to test during their virtual interview.

These are just three examples of how we partnered with clients to successfully transform their in-person research needs to a virtual setting.  We’re happy to consult with you on how to do the same for your next project.

HCP Recruiting during Covid-19

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While the pandemic has slowed some things down, that just isn’t the case with our Healthcare Professional Panel. They continue to be engaged and responding to study invites, even the heroes who are on the front lines.

Here are some of our latest COVID-19 recruits:

Qualitative

3 Days to Recruit
– 5 Pulmonologists 
– 2 Respiratory Therapists 
– 30-min Interview

The post-COVID healthcare environment
– 27 Hospital Executives
– 7 Departments
– 60-min Interview

70 HCPs and 20 COVID Patients
– 2-Hour Online Board 
– 60-min interview
– 10 days to recruit

Quantitative

PPE Inventory Tracker
– 20 Hospital Pharmacy Managers  
– Semi-weekly study
– Typically recruits in a few days

Impact on Referring Physicians
– A specialty physician management company
– 5 major US markets
– 8 questions
– 4 waves

Impact on Patients with HIV
– 155 physicians who are primary treaters for these patients 
– 6 major US markets
– 2 weeks to complete

Reach out for a quick quote on your Covid-19 recruiting needs.

Panel Perspectives: The Impact of COVID-19 on Processes at Medical Offices

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We recently surveyed about 400 of our Panelists to determine how COVID-19 was impacting the processes and work in their medical offices.

Here’s the full infographic. And here are some of the highpoints:

  • 93% of HCPs are conducting or will soon conduct in-office visits.
  • About half of HCPs are using telehealth more now than in the past.
  • Time spent per patient is the same for most HCPs (65%), but one quarter say they now spend more time per patient.
  • 98% have implemented new procedures in response to the pandemic (See what the new procedures are here).
  • HCPs are divided in regard to whether the new processes have impacted their amount of work:

Learn More

To learn more about how COVID-19 has impacted medical offices, here is the full infographic.

Going Retro with Confirmation Calls

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By Sharon Little, Project Manager

If you’ve ever texted from one side of the house to your family member on the other side of the house, you know just how appealing electronic communication is. And in qualitative recruiting, electronic communication is essential – study invites, pre-work and patient charts all rely on our e-comms.

But, phone calls – you know that jingle (or fav song) you hear when someone wants to actually speak with you 😉 – they are critical too, and our phone room uses them to “confirm” your interview times.

Beyond keeping your no-show rates down, here are four more benefits of an “old-school” confirmation call:

1 Sets a positive mindset.  A confirmation call is much more personal than an email or text reminder.  It communicates to panelists just how important they are to the study and thereby sets the stage for enthusiastic engagement.   

2 Enhances the discussion.  Calling panelists establishes a connection between the panelists and the research project.  Panelists feel invested in the study, often thinking about the topic beforehand and preparing ahead of time.

3 Helps with future recruiting.  Confirmation calls sometimes end up as discussions and if other panelists are having a difficult time qualifying, a confirmed panelist can shed some light on why that may be happening. This helps inform the study designer in the event that criteria needs to be adjusted.

4 Addresses long project times. If you’re scheduling calls well in advance then confirmation calls are critical for reminding panelists of their meeting with you.  The calls also enable us to proactively reschedule if needed, rather than discovering at the last minute that a panelist cannot attend.

Of course, the efficient and easy electronic communication continues to have its esteemed place in qualitative recruiting.  And yet, we’re keeping that old friend, the phone call, because there’s nothing like a “Hello?” for building a connection across the physical and virtual divide.   

4 Tips for Tracker Studies

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Oh, the humble tracker study. Perhaps it is the bane of your existence or maybe it’s your bread and butter.  Either way, tracker studies are important and can take a lot of effort!

We conduct lots of tracker studies, and while we can do them in our sleep, there are actually a few tips that can help your tracker studies go a bit smoother (so they don’t keep you awake at night!):

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Panel Perspectives: What HCPs Think of Qualitative Market Research

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We recently surveyed 250 of our Panelists to determine what they thought of qualitative market research. Here’s the full infographic. And here are some of the highpoints:

What’s the Participation Rate

Our HCPs are active across both qual and quant methodologies, with 84% saying they would participate in phone research.

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Moving In-person Research to Remote Research: 5 Upsides

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In the new normal, we hear a lot of talk about minimizing risk – making trade-offs between potential exposure and living life (professionally and personally). For HCPs, this could mean seeing patients, but not participating in in-person research.

Though the steep decline of in-person research may be disconcerting for researchers, there are upsides to remote research – areas of opportunity that you may not have anticipated.

As a 3-decade healthcare recruiter, here are some ideas for embracing the new normal:

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Panel Perspectives: What Healthcare Professionals Think of Patient Chart Research

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We recently surveyed 600 HCPs to determine what they think of Patient Chart Research. Here’s the full infographic. And here are some of the highpoints:

The How

The top ways HCPs complete Patient Chart Research are: toggle between the online survey and patient files on one device (41%), use two devices, such as laptop & tablet (32%), or print out the patient information (14%).

Electronic Health Records impact patient chart research with 57% of HCPs saying EHRs make it easier, but 28% saying they make it harder. Interestingly, this varies by specialty: Nearly 3/4 of Oncologists and Rheumatologists say EHRs make it easier but that same number of OB/Gyns and Psychiatrists say they make it harder.

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Panel Perspectives: The Impact of COVID-19

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We recently surveyed 1000+ Healthcare Professionals to find out how their practices have changed since the onset of COVID-19.

Here’s the full infographic. And here are some of the highpoints:

Patient Interactions

As expected, prior to the pandemic the vast majority of patient interactions were conducted in person. Today, that number has been reduced by more than half with patient interactions by phone and video increasing 7x and 15x respectively to be about equal in prevalence.

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Behind the Scenes on Quant Research

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by Dawn Brown, Project Manager

Did you ever take a behind-the-scenes tour of a movie set, entertainment park, zoo or aquarium? The best part is often learning how things get done – the magic that makes it all happen.

Well, quant research is nowhere near as exciting as a Disney tour, but here’s our behind-the-scenes view of what happens when you partner with us for your quant recruiting and fieldwork:

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