Providing doctors with reliable, needs-based advice with the help of AI

Collecting relevant information, preparing it individually and providing it in a customer-centric manner: artificial intelligence can relieve the burden on field staff and effectively increase their consulting services.

The pharmaceutical sales force is considered an important component in communication between pharmaceutical companies and medical practices. However, more than ever before, sales representatives today are often confronted with a multitude of challenges and enormous complexity when they want to prepare for customer meetings in a well-founded, results-oriented manner and with as little time expenditure as possible. There are many reasons for this: Firstly, there are regional differences between the 17 associations of statutory health insurance physicians (KV) in Germany. They operate under different conditions, which influence the prescription of certain preparations. Understanding this and knowing how it affects medical practices is essential for sales representatives, but also extremely complex, especially when sales representatives are active in different KV regions.

On the other hand, doctors are obliged to act economically when prescribing medicines. This is where so-called ‘special practice circumstances’ come into play, which can justify prescriptions that exceed the average. Sales representatives must be able to explain these special circumstances and demonstrate how their products fit into the economic environment. This means that they should take cost-effectiveness and recourse risks into account in their preparations and check them individually in order to allay any concerns the doctor may have during the consultation. Changes in legislation, new contracts with health insurance companies or adjustments to guidelines make it even more difficult to stay up to date with all the requirements, regulations and special features depending on the health insurance region.

This raises the question of how pharmaceutical companies can enable their sales representatives to understand these complex, regional and economic aspects and base their consultations with doctors on valid, up-to-date, needs-oriented and highly individualised information.

Real-time mobile AI support

Field staff are often on the move. That's why an AI assistant that can provide advice on the go is such an advantage. If employees want to refresh their memory of the last meeting shortly before their appointment with the doctor, they can use the AI to analyse previous consultation notes on their tablet.

This allows them to recognise that the doctor was or is sceptical about cost-intensive therapies, for example. Based on this, the AI suggests starting the conversation with study results that demonstrate cost-benefit efficiency. The innovative technology also helps after the conversation, as it has automatically taken minutes. If there are questions about the tolerability of a drug, the AI provides clinical data or studies that the sales representative can make available immediately after the conversation.

In future, real-time support during consultations with doctors is also conceivable. This is because AI systems recognise keywords or questions asked by the doctor and immediately suggest appropriate arguments or data relating to a particular medication. For example, if a doctor asks about the study results for a new asthma medication during the consultation, the AI immediately searches the database and delivers the relevant study highlights, including graphics, within seconds – presented in a format suitable for mobile devices.

A new approach to continuing education and knowledge transfer

From short videos on economic conditions to interactive tools that simulate practical scenarios, modern AI systems can significantly improve knowledge transfer. Corresponding platforms offer personalised learning modules and knowledge databases that support field staff in their continuing education.

For example, a simulation module runs through realistic conversation scenarios with a pharmaceutical employee in which doctors ask critical questions about costs, side effects or competing products. The AI analyses the answers and provides suggestions for improvement. Alternatively, sales staff can access the latest AI learning programmes in a knowledge database, which use tutorials to explain regional differences in health insurance requirements.

Artificial assistance ensures efficiency and a positive reputation

The integration of AI tools in field service represents a paradigm shift. Employees benefit from personalised, up-to-date and region-specific information that enables them to provide doctors with well-founded and customer-centric advice. This reduces uncertainty regarding economic and legal issues. In the long term, the use of such knowledge-supporting tools not only increases efficiency, but also strengthens the credibility and competence of the sales force.

This article was first published in
PM-Report, 28.01.2025