Physicians "Get Smart" -- Number Of Docs Using Smartphones Surges To 64 Percent In 2009

In 2009, the number of physicians using smartphones surged to 64%, according to Taking the Pulse® v9.0, pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research's newly released study focused on physician adoption, use, and impact of the Internet and other technologies. In fact, the number of physicians using iPhones more than doubled in the past year alone.

Survey results indicate that physicians' increased reliance on smartphones is not cannibalizing Internet usage on computers. Rather, physicians are spending more time online overall and are using both computers and smartphones to access to the most up-to-date online medical and pharmaceutical resources at a variety of points throughout the day. Additionally, smartphone-using physicians are an important group to take note of for strategy planning, especially for brand teams looking to leverage the evolving physician media mix in building relationships with their target audiences.

"Physicians have always been advanced in terms of their mobile use", said Monique Levy, Senior Director of Research at Manhattan Research, "Nevertheless, growth in smartphone ownership in the last year is remarkable. Mobile is delivering on its promise to allow doctors to be ‘always on' - which is partly why so many doctors say the Internet is essential to their practice."

About Taking the Pulse® v9.0
Taking the Pulse® v9.0 is a market research and strategic advisory service focused on which technologies physicians have adopted, how they are currently using them, and how they plan to use them in the future. The study was conducted in Q1 2009 among a nationally representative sample of 1,900 practicing U.S. physicians.

Clients can further segment the broad physician market trends to derive statistically relevant insight across the following specialties: Allergists, Cardiologists, Dermatologists, Electro Physiologists, Emergency Medicine, Endocrinologists, Gastroenterologists, Surgeons, Hematology Oncologists, Infectious Disease Specialists, Medical Oncologists, Nephrologists, Neurologists, Obstetrics/Gynecologists (OB/GYNs), Ophthalmologists, Orthopedic Surgeons, Pediatricians, Primary Care Physicians (General Practice, Family Practice and Internal Medicine), Psychiatrists, Pulmonologists, Radiologists, Rheumatologists and Urologists.

In addition to the data, clients receive strategic deliverables including research reports, client briefings, and access to the Manhattan Research analyst team to answer specific questions.

About Manhattan Research
Manhattan Research, a Decision Resources, Inc. company, is a leading market research and advisory services firm for global pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

SOURCE: Taking the Pulse® v9.0