Originally posted on lifestory2010.com.

Health-care professionals’ adoption and use of digital channels has been outpacing even that of health-care consumers over the past 12 to 18 months, and for a growing number of physicians, the Internet is quickly becoming their preferred resource for both education and promotional content.

Use in the clinical setting is growing, and now digital channels, whether websites, eDetailing or mobile content, are becoming part of physicians’ routine before, during and after patient consultations to find information and complete activities that formerly occurred in other channels.

It’s no surprise, then, that the percentage of physicians who recommend health sites to patients is rising. According to Manhattan Research, nearly 60 percent of physicians now do so.

We expect mobile to be one of the big stories in 2010; mobile search, content integration and Web services will all come to the fore. For doctors, what’s beyond mobile access to patient charts? More interactive learning, continuing medical education, peer consultations and even information exchange with device-wielding patients. Traditional channels will get digitized, too, such as through the use of smart codes and QR codes in print media.

We’ll see the rise of an entirely new HCP channel as well—advanced virtualizations that are a unique fusion of social media, rich informative content, thematically branded environments and collaborative applications. Much more than an eDetailing or eSampling program, these platforms can integrate a range of formats, actions and learning modules, information processing and real-time interactivity options that increase learning and even social interactions and peer collaboration.

Myriad factors, including an overburdened U.S. health-care system and inexpensive, fast consumer access to targeted information, technologies and peer support, might finally point the way toward a more connected or participatory health experience between patients and their doctors. It is part of the mission of each one of us at Euro RSCG Life to help give focus, shape and ceaseless effort to this journey.