RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC --(Marketwired - March 02, 2016) - Though many medical science liaison (MSL) teams prefer using qualitative insights to demonstrate team value to upper management, surveyed groups are increasingly submitting a regular report of trackable metrics. These data indicate that teams are yielding to upper management's pressure to quantify MSL value, according to primary intelligence provider Cutting Edge Information.

A comparison of data collected over a two year period shows that the number of key performance indicators (KPIs) that surveyed MSL teams track has increased by 61 percent in Europe, and by 100 percent in the U.S.

Capture and Communicate the Full Value of Medical Science Liaisons: Refining Global MSL Strategy with Compelling KPIs reveals four specific metrics that stand out as critical to proving MSL value:

• Number of existing key opinion leader (KOL) relationships.
• Number of interactions with KOLs.
• Number of new KOL relationships.
• Number of scientific speeches delivered by MSLs.

Together, these KPIs emphasize the importance of communicating scientific research to KOLs. According to the study, these four metrics will help relate to commercial executives' black-and-white view of MSL value.

"An MSL's primary responsibility is relationship-management which is qualitative by nature," said Natalie DeMasi, Senior Analyst at Cutting Edge Information. "However, because many executives want to see value measured in quantitative, bottom-dollar terms, MSLs are working hard to track quantitative metrics." 

Capture and Communicate the Full Value of Medical Science Liaisons, available at http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/research/medical-affairs/medical-science-liaisons/ provides MSL teams with real-world KPIs they can benchmark against, as well as best practices that top pharmaceutical companies use to demonstrate liaison value to company stakeholders. Other key questions answered by this in-depth benchmarking study include:

• How exactly do MSL teams justify their existence?
• How do MSL teams make a case for maintaining or increasing annual budgets?
• What are some interteam communication strategies between MSLs and sales reps at top
• companies?
• What activities should MSLs focus on prior to/post product launch? 

To learn more about Cutting Edge Information's medical affairs research, please visit http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/library/medical-affairs/. 

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