Methodologies for Medical Meetings

Methodologies that have proven to be successful with KOLs in settings ranging from small dinner meetings to large events with 500 or more physicians include:

• Small Group Discussions
  
  A small group format provides the greatest opportunity for meaningful interaction with select physicians. Small groups often generate the most robust opinions and perspectives among this critical population. Facilitators who are expert in not only qualitative research but in interpersonal, small group dynamics maximize the results of these discussions.
  
  
• Real-Time Polling
  
  Large group interactions require some additional tools to achieve the most useful information from an audience of experts. Using keypad technology with groups as large as 500, researchers can generate immediate feedback from meeting participants on issues presented by speakers or discussed with their colleagues. Results can be used to direct further discussion and to identify areas of opportunity or concern.
  
  
• Self-Directed Small Group Activities
  
  Often, a medical meeting is designed to address issues that require specific decisions or outputs. For example, a company may be seeking design consultation for its clinical trials or treatment protocols. Large groups can be broken into small interactive circles to generate ideas on a particular topic using audio/visual materials and workbooks. These activities typically include a case study, a group discussion and exercise, and presentation of recommendations or findings to the larger group.
  
  
• Pre- and Post-Meeting Surveys
  
  When a company needs comparative information on the opinions or awareness of individual consultants, pre- and post-meeting surveys can be used. Paper, interactive voice response (IVR), or web/computer surveys are administered to an audience prior to an event to assess the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors that the group brings to a program. Following the meeting, these perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors are again tested to determine the impact of the program.
  
  
• Meeting Evaluation Surveys
  
  Successful future programs are built by implementing constructive feedback from meeting attendees. Since meetings can happen within weeks or months of each other, it’s important that program evaluation data be collected and implemented quickly. When surveys are administered at a meeting, constructive feedback can help identify successful elements of the program as well as areas for improvement for future meetings.