Best Practices in the Use of Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence within Medical Affairs

Best Practices, LLC undertook this benchmark research to examine the use of a wide range of digital technologies and artificial intelligence applications within Medical Affairs.

This report captures key benchmarks around digital/AI activities and capabilities among industry Medical Affairs groups, roles and reporting in Digital Medical Affairs, resourcing trends for digital initiatives, patient engagement through e-medical initiatives, and the innovative use of artificial intelligence in Medical Affairs which is transforming the function and driving high value.

Study Snapshot

Best Practices, LLC engaged 74 executives from 53 leading life sciences companies in this research through a benchmarking survey instrument and interviews. The study insights are mostly from directors and higher management executives, representing nearly 80% of the participants. Insights in this research are presented into three different segments to provide deeper insights: Digital Leaders (16 respondents); Digital Majority (38 respondents); and Digital Laggards (20 respondents).

Key topics covered in this report include:

• Digital Services to Medical Affairs Groups
• Digital Capabilities in Medical Affairs
• Roles and Reporting in Digital Medical Affairs
• Resourcing of Digital Initiatives
• Empowering Patients through e-Medical Initiatives
• Key Trends and Emerging Digital Issues in Medical Affairs

• Digital Activities in Medical Affairs:

TBC – Most (51%) say their Medical Affairs will be boosting digital capabilities around access to medical information and medical education.


• Virtual advisory boards and peer-to-peer interactions were the only e-medical channels that a majority said were “very effective” in increasing medical’s engagement with external stakeholders.

Segments – Across segments, participants said when hiring to advance digital capabilities it is most effective to hire external candidates with digital or tech backgrounds.

Sr. No.	Topic	Slide No.
I.	Executive Summary	p. 4
	One-page Executive Brief	p. 5
	Segmentation Criteria	p. 6
II.	Digital Initiative Overview and Key Findings	p. 7
III.	Digital Landscape in Medical Affairs	p. 19
IV.	Digital Activities in Medical Affairs	p. 26
V.	Artificial Intelligence in Medical Affairs	p. 35
VI.	Roles and Reporting in Digital Medical Affairs	p. 50
VII.	Empowering Patients via Digital Initiatives	p. 61
VIII.	Digital Resourcing	p. 70
IX.	Emerging Digital Trends and Issues in Medical Affairs	p. 76
X.	Participant’s Demographics	p. 80
XI.	Detailed Data Slides	p. 83
XII.	About Best Practices, LLC	p. 104

• Critical success factors of digital engagement programs in Medical Affairs – Total benchmark class
• Critical success factors of digital engagement programs in Medical Affairs – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Why do the leaders succeed while others struggle?
• Overview of digital findings
• Detailed digital findings
• Top digital activities of the future
• Best digital channels for serving key external stakeholders
• Benefits of using digital channels

• Groups served by Medical Affairs through digital channels – Total benchmark class
• Importance vs. effectiveness matrix of various groups to Medical Affairs’ digital initiative plans – Total benchmark class
• Groups served by Medical Affairs through digital channels – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Importance vs. effectiveness matrix of various groups to Medical Affairs’ digital initiative plans – Digital leaders
• Importance vs. effectiveness matrix of various groups to Medical Affairs’ digital initiative plans – Digital majority
• Importance vs. effectiveness matrix of various groups to Medical Affairs’ digital initiative plans – Digital laggards

• Planned digitization of major and minor Medical Affairs activities
• Preferred background of new talent to build digital capabilities and engagement within the Medical Affairs function – Total benchmark class
• Preferred background of new talent to build digital capabilities and engagement within the Medical Affairs function – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Effectiveness of listed e-medical channels in increasing overall engagement with key external stakeholders – Total benchmark class
• Effectiveness of listed e-medical channels in increasing overall engagement with key external stakeholders – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Benefits of digital channels/tactics over non-digital in engaging external stakeholders in Medical Affairs
• Top technical and customer engagement challenges of using digital channels/tactics vs. non-digital channels/tactics for engaging with external stakeholders
• Top organizational and regulatory limitations in using digital channels/tactics vs. non-digital channels/tactics for engaging with external stakeholders

• Use of artificial intelligence in Medical Affairs – Total benchmark class
• Internal vs external impact of artificial intelligence in Medical Affairs – Total benchmark class
• Active use of artificial intelligence by Medical Affairs in utilizing internal/ external data sources
• Active use of artificial intelligence by Medical Affairs in facilitating medical activities
• Internal vs external impact of artificial intelligence in Medical Affairs – Digital leaders
• Internal vs external impact of artificial intelligence in Medical Affairs – Digital majority
• Internal vs external impact of artificial intelligence in Medical Affairs – Digital laggards
• Development of artificial intelligence tools for medical organization – Total benchmark class
• Development of artificial intelligence tools for medical organization – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Development of artificial intelligence – Functions / units or centers of excellence involved; collaboration with specific functions / units or centers of excellence; collaboration with multiple functions; external partners / vendors involved
• Usage of artificial intelligence tools and analytics by Medical Affairs - Total benchmark class
• Usage of artificial intelligence tools and analytics by Medical Affairs - Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Factors responsible for successful AI based external partnerships/vendor relationships – Total benchmark class
• Factors responsible for successful AI based external partnerships/vendor relationships – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards

• Medical Affairs sub-functions involved with digital initiatives and their role
• Medical Affairs sub-functions involved with digital initiatives and their role – Total benchmark class
• Medical Affairs sub-functions involved with digital initiatives and their role – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Leading role of Medical Affairs groups in digital initiatives – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Digital role and activities of Medical Affairs sub-functions involved with digital initiatives
• Medical Affairs’ collaboration with internal groups to develop and support digital systems and engagement programs – Total benchmark class
• Medical Affairs’ collaboration with internal groups to develop and support digital systems and engagement programs – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Medical’s digital collaborations with other functions

• Digital maturity of patient engagement programs – Total benchmark class
• Digital maturity of patient engagement programs – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Digital channels used by Medical Affairs function to engage with patients and the effectiveness of these channels – Total benchmark class
• Digital channels used by Medical Affairs function to engage with patients and the effectiveness of these channels – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Highly effective digital channels for patient engagement
• Effectiveness of digital channels for driving better overall engagement with patients
• Drivers of successful digital patient engagement – Total benchmark class
• Drivers of successful digital patient engagement – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards

• Annual budget allocation for all Medical Affairs-related digital programs – Total benchmark class
• Annual budget allocation for all Medical Affairs-related digital programs – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Breakdown of Medical Affairs digital budget
• Percentage of total Medical Affairs budget allocated to digital initiatives – Total benchmark class
• Percentage of total Medical Affairs budget allocated to digital initiatives – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards

• Top digital engagement trends that will most greatly impact the Medical Affairs function going forward
• Critical issues to Medical Affairs digital engagement

• Job titles and geographic responsibility of benchmark participants
• Therapeutic experience of benchmark participants and their Medical Affairs organization

• Important groups for Medical Affairs’ digital initiative plans – Total benchmark class
• Important groups for Medical Affairs’ digital initiative plans – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Effectiveness of Medical Affairs groups’ digital initiatives with external stakeholder groups – Total benchmark class
• Effectiveness of Medical Affairs groups’ digital initiatives with external stakeholder groups – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Effective new talent background for building digital capabilities and engagement within the Medical Affairs function – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Effectiveness of listed e-medical channels in increasing overall engagement with key external stakeholders – Total benchmark class
• Effectiveness of listed digital interaction channels in increasing overall engagement with key external stakeholders – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Effectiveness of listed web services and portals in increasing overall engagement with key external stakeholders – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Effectiveness of listed online programs in increasing overall engagement with key external stakeholders – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Use of artificial intelligence in utilizing internal/ external data sources for Medical Affairs
• Use of artificial intelligence in facilitating medical activities
• AI impact on internal activities in Medical Affairs
• AI impact on external activities in Medical Affairs
• Impact of AI on internal activities in Medical Affairs – Utilizing internal/ external data sources
• Impact of AI on internal activities in Medical Affairs – Facilitating medical activities
• Impact of AI on external activities in Medical Affairs – Utilizing internal/ external data sources
• Impact of AI on external activities in Medical Affairs – Facilitating medical activities
• Role of various Medical Affairs group(s) in driving digital initiatives – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Effective digital channels for patient engagement – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards
• Important drivers for successful digital patient engagement – Digital leaders vs. digital majority vs. digital laggards