Sometimes, the results of health-related research are kept private. In many other instances, the results are made public. Today’s post looks at doing publicly disseminated health-related research properly.
Rebecca Hahn, writing for Quirk’s Media, offers this advice: “Six questions to ask when you’re considering conducting a health care marketing research study for public release.”
1. “What are the key strategies to help make your project a success? Your study should be newsworthy and the topic should be fresh. It doesn’t need to be a new idea but could be a new way of looking at an issue, such as identifying gaps in perceptions about living with a condition among patients and health care providers not previously explored. Do your homework to avoid redundancy and identify information not addressed in currently available research.”
2. “Who should I involve from my organization? When research is done for public release it needs to be carefully designed and aligned with your key business objectives. Thus, it is essential you give all relevant stakeholders a seat at the table.”
3. “Who are you trying to influence with your research to make your product launch successful? Are these consumers or patients? Or are you trying to reach health care professionals (HCPs)or payers? This information can help guide the content of the survey and the choice of channel for distributing the information.”
4. “Who is your survey audience? Determine the best source of this information – patients, family members/caregivers, HCPs, payers, hospital administrators, policy makers, employers, etc.”
5. “How do I develop a study that yields robust results? Bigger samples are generally better for general population consumer research. Larger, stratified sample sizes help ensure generalizability and allow for subgroup analysis. Keep in mind three key areas when designing your survey: Awareness can test knowledge and bust long-standing myths. Attitudes include feelings, emotions, and opinions. Actions are behaviors, experiences and intentions. Ask the survey questions in an unbiased and straight-forward manner.”
6. What is the best way to disseminate this information? Your choice is typically driven by the audience you are trying to influence. Press releases can be very effective for consumers as they are intended to generate media attention and be distributed to a general audience.”
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