Formal Medical Inquiries versus Medical Insights
Key Takeaway
If the HCP needs a compliant medical answer, such as for an off-label question, an adverse event, or a product quality complaint, create a Medical Inquiry. If a field user noticed something worth sharing with the team, capture a Medical Insight.
Field teams in life sciences record two different things from their meetings with healthcare professionals (HCPs). A Medical Inquiry is a formal record of a question from an HCP, such as an off-label question, an adverse event, or a product quality complaint. The inquiry moves through a governed workflow so that a medical science liaison (MSL) delivers an approved, traceable response. A Medical Insight is a field user's own observation from an engagement with an HCP or a healthcare organization (HCO). The user tags the insight and shares it with teammates in a feed so the team can spot trends and risks.
Choosing an inquiry or an insight
To tell them apart, ask one question: did the HCP ask something that needs a compliant medical answer, or did the field user notice something worth sharing with the team?
If an HCP asks an off-label question, or reports an adverse event or a product quality complaint, that needs a medical answer...
Create a Medical Inquiry rather than a Medical Insight. The field rep drafts the inquiry, signs it, and submits it to the MSL queue for triage.
If a rep or an MSL observed a competitive signal or a sentiment shift to share with peers...
Capture a Medical Insight.
Priya, a field sales representative, visits Dr. Lee at a cardiology clinic. Dr. Lee asks whether a product works for a patient group outside its approved label. The off-label question needs a compliant medical answer, so Priya creates a Medical Inquiry with Dr. Lee's question, signs it, and submits it to the MSL queue. Later in the visit, Priya notices that the clinic now stocks samples of a competitor's new product. Nobody asked her a question here. The competitor news is her own observation, so she captures a Medical Insight, links it to the clinic's account and the product, and shares it with her team.