Time-Starved Oncologists Still Not Receiving Crucial Medical Information

NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite having no shortage of medical news and information resources, oncologists still say they are missing key health care information in several areas that are critical to their clinical practice, finds a VerusMed information needs survey of more than 100 oncologists.

Even though nearly half of oncologists surveyed spend three or more hours per week trying to keep current with advancements in cancer treatment, many say that they are still lacking essential information regarding post-marketing studies, toxicity management and reimbursement, among other areas.

"This means that the right information in many cases isn't getting through or isn't readily available to oncologists," said Scott McQuigg, CEO of VerusMed, which provides clinical briefings to physicians and other health care professionals. "Because of the demands of their practice and patient care, oncologists are limited in the amount of time they can invest in routine medical reading. Considering this, it's incumbent on anyone who provides information to oncologists to be more specific about what, when, and how medical information is delivered."

The physician needs assessment asked oncologists to identify information gaps in the oncology community, revealing physician perspectives on promising drug treatments and the types of cancer information they are most interested in reading.

"Out of the several information gaps oncologists identified in the survey, information on post-marketing studies was one of the more significant areas because it focuses on real-world clinical experience," said Sean Tape, Oncology Editor at VerusMed. "Physicians want to know how patients throughout the entire population are responding to a drug."

The survey also found that out of the numerous ways to receive medical information, oncologists still rely on medical journals, conferences and other peer interactions as their primary knowledge resources.

Surprisingly, the physician information needs assessment also discovered that oncologists are not adopting new media technology very quickly. When asked to pick their top two preferences for receiving medical information, many said they still rely on traditional and electronic mail, followed closely by fax delivery.

"What this tells us is that although PDAs, Web portals, and product Web sites hold a lot of promise for improving information dissemination, these mediums have not yet proven enough value for busy oncologists to change their information consumption habits," said McQuigg.

Over the last decade, VerusMed has used its ongoing survey process to inform content development and delivery of future publications for oncologists, neurologists and rheumatologists, among many other specialists. To request a full report, go to physiciandata@verusmed.com.

About VerusMed

VerusMed, an evolution of Faxwatch, provides timely, unbiased medical information to physicians, health care professionals, industry executives and patients. With its concise and objective editorial approach, VerusMed ensures that physicians and health care professionals receive the most relevant therapeutic updates. With more than 200,000 readers across several dozen therapeutic and industry segment-specific publications, VerusMed is able to leverage its market connectivity to help companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, hospital and managed care industries to establish brands and build rapport with key audiences. The company has twice been named to the Inc. 500 list of America's fastest growing companies. To learn more, visit http://www.verusmed.com/ or call 800-763-3329.