MINI PROJECT “A STUDY ON USAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND DIGITAL MARKETING BY MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FOR PATIENT CONSULTATION IN BENGALURU” SUBMITTED BY: MOHAMED FURQAN (REG No: MB191287) Under the guidance of Dr. BHAGYA RATHNA.R Professor INTRODUCTION The Healthcare and Medical industry is one of the significant keys of the economy in the world. It is a self-pushed Industry which includes segments of Manufacturing and Consumption of various Tablets, Syrups, Capsules, Ointments, Vaccines and Syringes, Medical Kits and many other assisting machines as well. Digital Marketing and Social Media have great scope in upcoming years as the consultation process can be completely transformed from traditional physical to the modern virtual process. Usage of Social media and Digital marketing by medical professionals for patient consultation is a very new concept even in the most urban metropolitan cities. Therefore, the study also highlights on the factors influencing the patients for online consultation and also analyzes and forecast the extent of success in it. Online Medical Consultation: Online medical consultation has in one way or the other become a boon to the urban populace of the country. Hard pressed for time, having to travel long distances to the hospital are some of the reasons that are prompting many potential patients to online doctor consultation. For the chronically ill patients, for those who want a follow-up examination, and for a periodical consultation, seeing a doctor online seems a great option STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: • To know the usage of social media by medical professionals in online medical consultation. • To understand the merits and demerits associated with online medical consultation. • To know the future prospects in the Indian Healthcare and Medical industry. SCOPE OF THE STUDY: This study is based on secondary data. Therefore no primary data or field study was conducted, instead it is a desk study. The scope of this study is to know and study the importance and demand of the doctors in person and to render their valuable and expertise advices even in this pandemic situation, to perceive the behavioral pattern of virtual consultation and to analyze the factors influencing the patient’s behavior in Social Media and Digitalization in the field of virtual consultation. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY: • The study focuses only on usage of Social Media and Digital Marketing by Medical Professionals for Patient Consultation. • This study is confined to Bengaluru city only. • It is based on secondary data only. RESEARCH DESIGN • TYPE OF RESEARCH • SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION SECONDARY DATA: From published books, research papers, magazine, journals, documents and internet. • Websites • Blogs • Internet SWOC Analysis: STRENGTHS • To know the present environment, we are living in • To know the existance of modern technology • Patient behaviour on online consultation • To know the increasing demand of social media and digital marketing in the field of healthcare • Anticipation or forecasting demand of online consultation • Quick and easy communication • Large audiences • Global reach • Measurable and trackable WEAKNESSES • • • • • Skills and training Time consuming Huge competition Security / privacy issues Complaints and feedbacks OPPURTUNITIES • Opportunity to expand globally • Competitive advantage • Capture a large chunk of potential customers • Gain huge traffic when the medical professionals become famous • Build up of loyal patient base • Global reach • Easy and effective influence to the patients • Creates a pool of potentially targeted patients • Wide Market to be explored CHALLENGES • Time consuming • Improper / inaccurate skills and training • Global competition • Security / privacy issues • Negative feedbacks and critisms • Must be updated with current trends and technologies • Fluctuating Network • No reach to Rural Hinterlands FINDINGS: There is a tremendous huge amount of Demand as well as scope of online/virtual consultation especially in metropolitan cities like Bengaluru and more. People now a days are more advanced and technology driven as a result, they are using social media and its platforms much more than ever in the past. People have found the online consultation and medical professionals using Digital marketing and social media platforms for patient consultation very helpful and convenient. It has become a boon in this Pandemic situation or pandemic crisis. Patients are also provided with their privacy and security relating to their records, medical history in a separate database in the form of ‘Patient Portfolio’. It has become one of the most successful idea and platform for the medical professionals to serve the general public through Digital marketing tools and Social media platforms without the fear of physical contact. General public has found the method of Digitalization of healthcare using Social media platforms in order to be consulted to their desired medical professionals as a method of more convenience, cost friendly and free from all hustles. Expert doctors or medical professionals also gain high popularity and fame over the internet as they are more in demand by their services and expertise which results in huge web traffic. The people who refuse to show up to the doctors or who evades the treatment of the doctors from their family members also can now easily be consulted through online platforms. SUGGESTIONS: Based on the major and significant findings of the study, based on the observations made at the time of research and by discussing with some of the customers/patients who have undergone online medical consultation as well as with the doctors who render their service online, the following suggestions were made Medical professionals who opt for rendering their noble and qualitative services online through Digital marketing tools and social media platforms must be well equipped with all the skills and training needed to carry the online work. Medical professionals, no matter how good their services are and how expert they are in their specific specialization, but they must be updated and must move with the trend and latest technologies prevailing in the market. Medical professionals rendering services online must at least have an average understanding and knowledge of the Digital marketing tools and social media marketing in order to survive in the gigantic online market and also to attract some traffic from the online platforms. Medical professionals rendering online consulting service has to build Brand loyalty in the minds of the people/patients, to whom they are serving. Mere building the brand loyalty is not enough, but the online medical professionals must also have to target a particular set of patients relating to their specialization and expertise. The Medical professionals must always try to enhance and develop their consultation process and must ask for the constant feedbacks regarding the entire process of consultation with their experience, with a view point of improving. CONCLUSION: There is a much wider and demanding scope for usage of Social Media platforms and Digital Marketing by the medical professionals for patient consultation in the future as people are more technology driven and prefer convenience. Online consultation for any particular ailment is highly advisable especially in this pandemic situation (COVID-19) of which the viruses can be present anywhere especially in the clinics and hospitals. Medical professionals who are rendering online services must be equipped with all the necessary skills and training needed to serve the public online and must be ready to adopt the changes happening in the social media in respect of patient behavior, up gradation in technology and more. There must be a provision of some ‘FREE OF COST’ sessions to the general public in order to bring them an idea, about the very new concept of online/virtual consultation and it also attract the potential patients who are in need of the above services. Healthcare and medical sector can be said as one of the most flexible and quickest to adopt industry out there, which picks up the opportunities along with the challenges to render the service to their patients. Previously online consultation may not be so much effective when compared to the physical/personal consultation, but it is a boon in this pandemic situation and may become much more effective and efficient in the near future with more advanced technology replacing the existing one.
