For the pharmaceutical industry, 2017 has been an eventful year. In addition to delivering several reforms, the Australian government has strongly supported new and innovative ventures across the industry. Now there have been hurdles such as patient-centricity and Ransomware up till the end of last year. However, the industry is expected to experience further growth in 2018 and beyond.
Fueling this growth are a number of factors, including product-specific partnerships, disease breakthroughs, increased funding, and streamlined approvals. Forward-looking enterprises themselves are evolving by embracing a range of technologies. One of the latest technologies to be added across pharmaceutical companies is mobile forms.
Why Mobile Forms Promise to Revolutionize Big Pharma
The pharmaceutical sector may have been late to adopt mobility, but it’s quickly taking measures to close the gap. Motivating the implementation of mobile apps were several reasons, including:
- Growing Number of Mobile Users – Generations X and Y comprise 70% of the workforce of pharmaceutical companies. As both rely heavily on mobile devices, having a mobile forms app which streamlines their work is advantageous.
- Benefits of Using Mobility Internally – Pharma firms have been integrating mobility into different functions, including research and development. Other uses include improving regulatory compliance and increasing patient recruitment.
- Need to Save on Costs – Pharmaceutical companies have been facing criticism for the rising costs of drug prices. Mobile apps can, however, help in reducing a range of costs, including the cost of printing and circulating paper documents or forms. As a result, the prices of drugs may be lowered.
The addition of mobile forms further enriches a pharma company’s enterprise mobility strategy. Replacing paper forms across the organization with this type of digital forms delivers the following benefits.
Enhanced Collaboration
The confidentiality of paper-based records was a top priority before the digitization of business processes. The closed system set to secure patient information and protect it from theft or loss, however, was a barrier to shared learning.
Mobile forms support the more open and collaborative environment which pharmaceutical companies need to succeed. The information entered is securely stored into systems. Authorized personnel can then access data using security features such as login credentials. As a result, shared learning is achieved without compromising security. This is especially important for achieving the next advantage.
Smaller Gaps between Physicians and Pharma Companies
Mobile form apps can be easily shared with physicians so they can collaborate and share valuable information such as patient conditions after drug use. Not only does this enable faster and better communication, it also helps improve decision-making and reduces risks.
For instance, if a physician notices their patient improving, they can communicate results and push companies to conduct more conclusive tests. On the other hand, if they detect side effects, physicians can report them directly with pictures included. This will help pharmaceutical companies make the necessary improvements early on, saving effort, time, and money.
Effective Training across the Organization
Agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States compel drug manufacturers to train their employees. Training in this industry needs to extend beyond personnel in charge of production to those responsible for warehousing, packaging, and even supervising the aforementioned. What makes learning via mobile more effective than traditional methods is benefits such as:
- Learning Flexibility – Through mobile, employees can learn anywhere, anytime, and without being connected to the web.
- Variety of Instructional Content – Different multimedia formats can be made available on smartphones and tablets. This allows training to suit employees regardless of their learning pattern.
- Availability on Different Devices – Providing training material via mobile delivers added convenience to employees. As they use their devices daily, the chances of them completing their courses will be higher.
In addition to training materials in the form of pages and checklists, mobile forms to collect feedback should be included. Employee feedback allows companies to evaluate the effectiveness of the training. Another set of forms which may be required are those for documenting that the training was provided. These may be necessary for some agencies during audits and inspections.
Quicker Communication
While 50% of a pharmaceutical company’s workforce may be in the production department –
- 30% of the company’s total employment is in quality and validation
- 10% in operations
- 5% in research and development
- 5% in supply chain, logistics, marketing, warehouse, and other areas
Communication between these departments can be poor, especially as these departments may be spread across several facilities.
A mobile forms app can help streamline communication across your firm. Departments can send information in the form of PDF reports via mobile devices, in real to semi-real time. Assigned personnel will receive alerts of submitted forms and respond accordingly. This increases efficiency, allowing pharmaceutical organizations to achieve one of their primary goals.
Clear Audit Trails
As part of their stringent compliance regulations, agencies require clear audit trails. By definition, an audit trail is “a secure, computer-generated, time-stamped electronic record that allows for reconstruction of the course of events relating to the creation, modification, or deletion of an electronic record”.
Mobile forms allow the collection of data and its submission with time stamps, geo tags, and eSignatures. This data is then directly sent to the enterprise’s business systems, reducing potential human risk while increasing data integrity. With a company culture which stresses data integrity, companies enjoy a more transparent work environment and a lower possibility of malpractice.
Is Your Pharmaceutical Company Ready for Mobile Forms?
The simplest answer to this question is ‘YES’.
Pharma organizations can easily roll out mobile forms across their departments. Not only can these be designed easily, but they can also be pushed to many devices at a time almost instantly. Training employees to use mobile form apps doesn’t take much time either.
Not convinced? Download Ready2Use on your device and discover the true potential of mobile form apps for your enterprise.
We’d love to heard your feedback too, so please comment below.
