Pharmaceuticals
AI is transforming pharma, with predictive modelling capable of faster, more precise diagnostics and assisting with the discovery of new drugs. High R&D costs are now being mitigated through automation.
Healthcare market research
Market research participant recruitment for pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, healthcare providers, biotechnology firms and digital health organisations. Our team is experienced in recruiting HCPs, allied health professions, other B2B proifles in healthcare and patients for healthcare market research in most major global markets.
100+ completed healthcare projects
7 years of experience in healthcare
1500+ healthcare respondents recruited
Healthcare
Healthcare industry
The global healthcare market is estimated to be worth around $11 trillion in 2024 and is expenditure is growing at around 6% a year. These global averages conceal wide disparities in levels of healthcare spending. In the USA, healthcare spending accounts for over 17% of GDP (almost $15000 per capita per annum) while in Pakistan and Bangladesh it is less than 3% of GDP (less than $100 per capita per annum).
Healthcare expenditure accounts for an increasing proportion of GDP in most countries due to the increasing proportion of elderly people with complex, long-term health needs, the development of new, but expensive, medical technologies and pharmaceuticals to treat particular conditions, and a general increase in the demand for services.
The UK’s National Health Service (known as the NHS) is the world’s largest integrated health system, treating around 1.7 million people every day. While still the UK’s main healthcare provider, staff shortages and long NHS waiting times are contributing to annual growth of around 6% in private healthcare spending, with the private healthcare sector estimated to be worth between £12 and 14 billion in 2023.
Healthcare market research is one of FieldworkHub’s focus areas, and we have a strong track record of recruiting patients, healthcare professionals (HCPs) and healthcare managers to take part in depth interviews, focus groups and surveys.
Trending topics
Trending market research areas in the healthcare industry
Medical procedures & treatments
The rise of minimally invasive procedures mean reduced recovery periods for patients and increased precision for surgeons, with AI diagnostics aiding surgical precision.
Medical devices
Connected health, made possible through wearable devices, is revolutionising patient care. Remote care is more efficient than ever, with personalised treatment plans made possible through smart tech.
Digital health
Digital tools, such as digital therapeutics (DTx), can help patients to effectively manage their symptoms while remote monitoring through smart wearables helps HCPs to efficiently track treatment plans.
Key audiences
Key audiences for healthcare market research
Healthcare professionals/HCPs (Doctors, Nurses, Specialists)
We’ve recruited general practitioners/family doctors, nurses, haematologists, cardiologists, neuroligists, oncologists, radiologists, endoscopists, surgeons, dentists and many other types of HCP.
Hospital administrators & C-Suite executives
We have experience of conducting telephone interviews with C-Suite executives at health insurers in the USA, and depth interviews with hospital IT managers in several countries.
Payers
The FieldworkHub team has recruited medical payers in China for depth interviews, dieticians and commissioners for online focus groups in the US, and medical payers in the UK for depth interviews.
Medical device users & decision-makers
Our team has recruited patients for at-home medical device and medical app testing, HCPs who use specialist devices and equipment for IDIs.
Patients & caregivers
We’ve conducted surveys with caregivers in the EU, and arranged IDIs with diabetics, cardiovascular patients, patients with obesity, haemophiliacs, patients with ITP and PNH and many more.
Healthcare IT professionals
The FieldworkHub team has arranged depth interviews with IT directors, IT managers and system administrators in both hospitals and outpatient settings.
Ready to plan your next healthcare market research project?
FieldworkHub provides local support and participant recruitment for both qualitative and quantitative research projects; so every element of your brief is executed with precision.
CONTACT US FOR A QUOTE
Qualitative research
What types of qualitative research does FieldworkHub conduct in the healthcare industry?
If you are looking to gather detailed insights into experiences, perceptions, and patterns of behaviour in the healthcare industry, a qualitative research methodology could be the right choice. Qualitative methods of research explore the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’, providing important contextual information behind how decisions are made.
Healthcare Focus groups
Focus groups allow participants to combine experiences and perspectives to explore ideas in depth. Commonly used during creative and conceptual development, they help you understand your customers’ needs, perceptions, and beliefs.
Healthcare in-depth interviews
In-depth interviews (IDIs), where a moderator interviews a single respondent, can be conducted face-to-face, online, or over the phone. They are ideal for B2B research and for exploring delicate subjects with consumers and hard-to-reach groups.
Healthcare Ethnographies
Ethnographic research is a qualitative research method in which the researchers observe participants using a product or service, or carrying out other activities, in their own environment, typically at work or at home.
Healthcare Online bulletin boards
An online bulletin board (OBB) is an online forum for qualitative market research that enables participants to log into to carry out research tasks or reply to questions asked by a moderator at their own pace, typically over a period of a few days.
Healthcare Online communities
A market research online community (MROC) is similar to an online bulletin board (OBB). However, unlike an OBB, on online community may be used to serve multiple purposes, and the community may remain active for weeks, months or even years.
Healthcare UX testing
User experience (UX) testing is a qualitative research methodology which involves directly observing and interviewing a participant using a product or service. It is widely used for testing new versions of apps and websites before they are launched.
Healthcare CX testing
Customer experience (CX) testing evaluates how customers interact with a product, service, or digital platform. It helps identify usability issues and overall satisfaction to improve the customer journey and ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.
Healthcare Video surveys
A video survey is a type of unmoderated qualitative research in which survey takers respond to a series of instructions or questions by making short videos using their smartphone, either in ‘selfie’ mode or to record an activity.
Healthcare vox pops
Vox pop research involves making recordings of people, usually members of the public, responding to questions. These clips are often used in research to illustrate public opinion on widely known topics, brands, or products.
Quantitative research
What types of quantitative research does FieldworkHub conduct in the healthcare industry?
If you are looking to develop a general picture of a particular topic, product, or service in the healthcare industry, quantitative research methodologies can help you gain objective insights from your target audience. Usually the results are numerical, which can be helpful in identifying patterns, averages, and creating statistics.
Healthcare Online surveys
Online surveys are a cost-effective research method with great flexibility in design. Automated data handling allows the results to be available quickly and many online surveys can be completed on smartphones, helping to improve the response rate.
Healthcare CATI
CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) leverages technology to reach those who aren’t online. CATI interviews follow an electronic script with built in routing and type in the respondent’s answers to each question as the interview proceeds.
Healthcare CAPI
CAPI (computer-assisted personal interviewing) is a form of face-to-face interviewing where the interviewer reads the survey questions from a tablet device and inputs the respondent’s answers directly to the device.
Case studies
Case studies of healthcare research
From online in-depth interviews to in-person focus groups, we’ve delivered a wide range of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methodology research projects within the healthcare industry. Our work spans diverse audiences and industries, so you can count on us to uncover the insights you need.
Depth interviews: nuclear medicine specialists, Germany
Our client was assisting the manufacturer of a kit used by hospital nuclear medicine departments to assist in the location of infection or inflammation in the limbs and backs of patients. We recruited 5 specialists and provided moderation for the interviews and prepared English transcripts.
Focus groups: dieticians, payers, commissioners, UK
Our client was working with a manufacturer of specialist nutrition products to help them develop marketing messages for dieticians and payers/commissioners working in oncology. We arranged an online focus group with oncology dieticians and a second group with payers/commissioners working in the National Health Service.
IDIs: HCPs, lung biopsies, Germany, China, USA
A company that develops medical devices wanted to speak to pathologists and interventional pulmonologists to understand how considered technologies, impact unmet needs for peripheral lung biopsies. We provided end-to-end project management, including the recruitment of 24 participants.
IDIs: paramedics and anaesthetists, UK, USA
A Norwegian company who develops products for healthcare providers and hospitals reached out to us to recruit paramedics and anaesthesiologists in the UK and the USA for online video calls. The calls were designed to provide input to help the client with a new product design.
IDIs: self-injectable needle packaging with consumers and HCPs
We carried out online IDIs with healthcare professionals and patients in Germany and the USA to explore the way self-injectable anti-obesity medication is packaged and how medication delivery can be made more user-friendly for both target groups.
In-home, in-facility IDIs: child vaccination, São Paulo
Our client wanted to gain insights from parents of children aged 0 to 5 years, who were social media users and had to be members of parenting and/or health groups. We were asked to recruit respondents for a mix of in-home and in-facility sessions, each lasting 90 minutes, over two days in São Paulo, Brazil.
Got questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
As consultants in the research space, we’ve got the answers. And if there’s anything left unanswered, drop us an email or give the team a call. We’d be happy to help.
1
How does conducting market research benefit the healthcare industry?
Market research can help pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and healthcare providers assess regulatory changes, optimise product launches, and reduce risk in new service or treatment development by engaging directly with healthcare professionals and patients.
2
Do you conduct research with patients at different stages of a condition/treatment journey?
Yes, we regularly conduct research with patients at specific stages of a condition or treatment pathway, from newly diagnosed individuals to those with long-term or advanced experience of a condition. Before fieldwork begins, we assess feasibility by reviewing prevalence and incidence data, allowing us to predict recruitment timelines, identify potential challenges, and set realistic expectations for delivery.
3
Do you support research involving sensitive health topics and ethical considerations?
Yes, FieldworkHub has extensive experience supporting research on sensitive health topics and studies requiring strict ethical oversight. We place the highest priority on participant wellbeing, confidentiality, and informed consent, ensuring all research is conducted in line with ethical guidelines and industry best practice.
4
Can you recruit healthcare professionals by speciality, setting, and seniority?
Yes, we are highly experienced in recruiting healthcare professionals (HCPs) across a wide range of specialities, work settings, and levels of seniority. Our experience includes specifically trained nurses in private services to doctors who are key decision makers in their area of expertise. We use specialist panels, targeted outreach, and rigorous verification processes to recruit niche and hard-to-reach HCPs, ensuring participants are relevant, genuine, and well qualified for each study.
Looking to conduct market research in the healthcare industry?
Contact our feasibility specialists to discuss your specific research needs and how we can help you gain deeper insights from the healthcare industry in 60 global markets.
