With new drugs, technologies and treatments being launched every day, there’s a constant need for education in the healthcare world. From sales reps to doctors to patients, the demand for relevant and timely information on new developments is ongoing. For healthcare marketers, eLearning programs offer an efficient and practical way to support go2market strategies and new product launch programs, as well as a way to support end customers with information and training.

eLearning modules are easy to use - you can do a session wherever you are, on your preferred device, and you can start and stop a session in order to fit the training into your schedule. In addition to being the most flexible and cost-effective way to provide training across multiple audiences and regions, it’s one of the most attractive options for users.

For sales reps and account managers

From a regulatory, disease management or even product launch standpoint, eLearning makes it possible to communicate urgent information about a brand-new issue, treatment or disease as soon as it emerges. This makes it ideal for a large and geographically-dispersed sales force, where eLearning is often the best way to keep everyone up-to-date, especially when your markets and products undergo frequent change.

For pharmaceutical and medical device companies, eLearning offers a streamlined way to share new product information, updates on diseases and conditions, changing regulatory requirements and other developments with sales reps, account managers and other staff. With options for rapid deployment, regional customization, and learn-at-your-own-pace, eLearning offers the best way to get everyone up to speed in a hurry. To ensure full (and trackable) participation, consider including a brief test at the end of each training module, with a minimum score required for completion.

For physicians and hospitals

Sharing information and updates on new diseases, treatments and technologies is just the beginning when it comes to eLearning opportunities for physicians and hospitals. Depending on your customer types and objectives, you can support doctors, hospital staff or patients with eLearning programs, while at the same time supporting your marketing goals.

For medical equipment and device manufacturers, eLearning modules on how new equipment and technology should be used, including software, hardware and interfaces, should be a part of all product launches, and any product enhancements or upgrades. In addition to supplying the equipment, you need to also supply the expertise so users can truly maximize their investment, and eLearning offers a simple and straightforward way to train multiple users, in multiple locations, at multiple times.

Depending on the disease or condition that your product treats, you can create educational tools for physicians and patients, as a way to share important information. As an example, Living Stone worked with a pharmaceutical company active in the area of genetics, to create an app for physicians to help educate patients with a genetic disease. Created in collaboration with clinicians, the app includes information, illustrations and videos for clinicians to use to explain to patients how the disease will impact their lifestyle, the available treatments, and the potential outcomes. A user-friendly, attractive tool, the app supports the complex conversations clinicians need to have with their newly-diagnosed patients.

Other eLearning projects might include partnering with a hospital customer to provide eLearning modules on disinfection protocols, supporting a transfusion equipment manufacturer with eLearning modules for their customers on how marketing for blood banks, or modules on robotic surgery training and techniques for a robotic surgery equipment provider.

Building relationships and reputation

Creating a library of easy-to-find, useful and relevant eLearning modules also positions your company as a key access point for information. If your content is consistently on-target and of high-quality, you will become the go-to source in your niche, and earn a reputation for your information and thought leadership.

To ensure the quality of your training materials, in particular those intended for medical professionals, it’s very important to include your regulatory department and your company’s medical director in the process. It’s also important to collaborate with the clinicians or other groups who will use your eLearning modules, to ensure that your materials hit the mark for them with regard to tone, content and focus. Another consideration is to ensure that your eLearning modules are accessible, with options for visually- or hearing-impaired users.

For B2B marketers, eLearning offers another tool to support your go2market programs. Whether you need to help your sales reps fully understand a drug and the condition it treats so that they can sell it, or you need to teach doctors how to use a new medical device before they can start treating patients, eLearning offers a flexible, cost-effective and efficient approach. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use eLearning to communicate with your audiences, contact Anne-Mie Vansteelant at +32 55 591 007 or anne-mie.vansteelant@livingstone.eu.