We’ve been writing about some of the dynamics that today’s Medical Affairs teams are navigating, including the need for integrated evidence planning and a thoughtful, holistic approach to thought leader identification and engagement. As Medical Affairs has evolved, so has the role of the medical science liaison (MSL).

MSLs have always served at the front line of engagement with key opinion leaders (KOL) and other thought leaders. The most effective are those who offer scientific and clinical knowledge combined with strong skills in interpreting data and communicating with diverse stakeholders.

While the MSL role has never been easy, it has become more challenging than ever as MSLs navigate a complex, highly dynamic environment. Chalk it up to a convergence of factors: Extremely fast-moving science around new treatments in therapeutic areas such as oncology, rare diseases, and neurology. Complex treatment decision-making pathways, which requires MSLs to be experts not only in clinical value but also economic value. And the simultaneous need to advocate for patients — while capturing actionable insights and aligning them with a company’s informational imperatives.

How can MSLs stay on top of rapidly emerging research, tune in to individual KOL/thought leader needs and preferences, and deliver compelling, data-rich conversations that will make a difference to these providers and their patient populations? Through IQVIA’s experience deploying MSLs on behalf of client organizations, we have identified and invested in three critical tools.

One-stop source for relevant information

MSLs need the most current and relevant information at their fingertips. Yet many still spend hours letting their fingers do the walking. When they devote too much time to hunting for information on sources such as Google, PubMed, and ClinicalTrials.gov, there’s less time to prepare for what truly matters: building credibility and trusted relationships with KOLs and thought leaders. Without rich and complete data, MSLs are at risk of relying on outdated and/or irrelevant information.

To avoid those challenges, IQVIA arms its MSLs with access to the largest scientific data lake in the industry. We’ve been collecting this data for more than 20 years. Each year, we upload approximately 1.9 million abstracts into the data lake, and it now contains information from 22,000+ annual meetings globally. That includes coverage in emerging markets across more than 160 countries.

In addition to searching for information, IQVIA’s MSLs can use this tool to monitor a KOL or thought leader’s digital activity and to access the most comprehensive real-world patient and behavioral data. With all this information in a single place, MSLs can precisely identify the most relevant scientific experts, regional and local peer leaders, and clinical leaders or healthcare providers treating in the specific therapeutic area.

Engagement planning platform

Beyond providing access to complete and relevant information, how can you ensure that your organization’s outreach to KOLs and thought leaders is carefully planned and coordinated? IQVIA has answered that question with an engagement planning platform that enables our MSLs to stay informed, to execute in a coordinated fashion, and to record sentiment related to each exchange. Not surprisingly, this information proves incredibly useful as we plan next steps.

There is a need to simplify the HCP and internal stakeholder journeys. Smart thought leader engagement utilizing connected data and technology will enable R&D, medical, and commercial teams to generate comprehensive KOL/expert engagement plans to simplify the HCP journey, as well as conduct impactful engagement planning that saves hours for your teams each week.

Tailored, multidimensional training

MSLs today need to have strong strategic and interpersonal skills to develop and maintain trusted relationships with KOLs and thought leaders. They also need the ability to balance their companies’ goals and strategic objectives with the needs and interests of thought leaders and the patients they serve. Just as important, MSLs must be able to seamlessly navigate and orchestrate across diverse types of engagements — whether remote or in person — and learn how to be effective in any channel. All the while, MSLs are overwhelmed by the amount of data they need to navigate — and need appropriate training on how to use it.

“Appropriate” will vary depending on the individual and/or team, so for true upskilling, IQVIA starts by identifying the baseline. This approach helps us understand training gaps and needs.

For example, if an MSL team is simply recording what KOLs are saying, consider a training that teaches how to ask probing questions aligned to the company’s strategic imperatives. Teaching an MSL how to identify key themes and ask key questions helps increase the actionable insights that MSL is contributing. (Of course, this needs to be done compliantly.)

Or suppose a team tends to “data dump”—which happens because they support a therapeutic area with a high volume of emerging research or because they aren’t sure what’s relevant to their respective KOLs. For IQVIA, this would present an opportunity to teach modern scientific storytelling aligned to thought leaders’ needs. Such storytelling helps contextualize the information, making it relevant to the providers or their patient populations, AND increasing the likelihood that thought leaders will be engaged and willing to share more insights.

Equipping MSLs with curated scientific information, an integrated engagement platform, and tailored training helps make their jobs better—and empowers them to do a better job building strong relationships with thought leaders.

In case you missed it, click here to read the previous blog in this series.