Two Physicians, One Decision: Why We Recruited Referrers and Implanters
To understand portal hypertension surgery uptake, you have to talk to two physicians: the one who does the surgery and the one who makes the referral.
Interventional radiologists perform the portal hypertension procedure, but hepatologists and gastroenterologists usually decide whether to refer.
This second-phase study finalized messaging for a portal hypertension device, so the recruit had to cover both groups. Building on physician segments identified in phase one, the sample included referrers in tertiary and community settings as well as implanters.
The final sample was 45 physicians, each in a one-hour structured interview:
18 hepatologists
13 gastroenterologists
14 interventional radiologists
By country: US (18), Italy (11), UK (8) and Germany (8).
To fit physician schedules, interviews took place at congress, research facilities and hotels in Europe and US.
Half the sample saw a test ad at random to check recall and understanding. Physicians also reviewed three published studies on interventions built their own ideal ad from message components.
Including referrers shaped the findings. Their reactions to the data, including questions about study size and design, showed what evidence might be needed to shift referral behavior. Interventional radiologists, meanwhile, described actively seeking more referrals, which pointed to their role in carrying the message to colleagues.
