The case for reprints: 4 reasons to provide medical reprints

Today, the pace at which information accumulates requires all professionals to diligently and consistently work toward a comprehensive understanding of their industries. Perhaps there's nowhere this is more true than in the medical world. Because of the ever-changing nature of the field, there are constant streams of new research, and physicians have an obligation to their patients' well-being to stay abreast of the latest findings.

Healthcare industry professionals can help by providing doctors and other medical professionals with unabridged reprints from credible peer-reviewed medical publications.

Medical reprints can help physicians stay up to speed.

Here are four reasons to consider sharing medical reprints with physicians in the field.

1) Doctors want reprints

The rate at which medical knowledge expands has been accelerating for decades. A 2011 study predicted that the doubling time of medical knowledge could shorten to 73 days by 2020.

In this kind of climate, doctors have to voraciously consume new information. Even if they already came across a particular paper, a certain set of guidelines or a new research report during its initial publication, they'll probably appreciate being exposed to the topic again.

For years, a central tenet of marketing has been to provide value for the target audience. For medical professionals, there might be nothing more value than credible and current medical research.

2) Doctors will actually use reprints

Most marketers know that there can be a gap between what an audience thinks they want and what they'll actually use. In the case of healthcare, doctors want, and regularly use, medical reprints, as long as they receive them.

Elsevier's recent research indicates that more than 80% of physicians read medical articles in reprint format. Among the remaining physicians who said they didn't read them, the main reason they cited for not doing so was simply that they didn't receive reprints.

As long as you can distribute articles from peer-reviewed medical journals into the hands of physicians, either through print or digital, they will likely read them. Why wouldn't they? The success of their practice and the health of their patients depend on their ability to stay current with the latest research and healthcare reporting.

3) Doctors make decisions based on science and data

Creative marketing can raise awareness and interest in a product, but peer-reviewed scientific research is the driving force behind adoption in the medical world. A treatment must be safe and effective for it to have a chance at assisting patients.

Sharing medical reprints with physicians can demonstrate your commitment to the integrity of the field and to your critical investment in patient care. By supporting the circulation of medical texts, you perpetuate scientific understanding among doctors. The validation of products in credible literature will lead doctors to believe in the efficacy of these treatments.

4) Multiple formats help you reach your audience

There are a variety of formats you can use to distribute reprints to medical practitioners depending on what suits your needs and the desires of your contacts. Whether you'd like to deliver a hard copy by hand or share an encrypted, mobile-optimized PDF over the internet, there are several different options available.

Additionally, Elsevier offers email distribution support as well as branded handouts the size of a business card, known as Linkards, which can be outfitted with QR codes or exclusive URLs.

If you'd like to distribute medical reprints in new markets abroad, we also offer translation services.

Medical reprints can be a great tool for supporting physicians, and there are many options for distributing reprints that will capture the attention of healthcare providers. Whether you'd like to share a reprint from an Elsevier medical journal or external content from another source, we can help.