Illustration of the liver and digestive system with a doctor’s hand pointing
Qual and Quant: Mapping the US Portal Hypertension Referral Pathway
Talking to referrers first made sure a 201-physician survey asked the right questions.
A manufacturer wanted to understand how US patients with portal hypertension move through the health system, and where a portal hypertension procedure fits in the treatment pathway. The focus was on referrers, the physicians who decide whether a patient is sent for the procedure.
The study ran in two phases.
Phase 1 was 21 double-blinded, 60-minute Zoom interviews with eight transplant hepatologists, three hepatologists and 10 gastroenterologists. The recruit called for a mix of referral volumes:
Low: 11 or fewer procedure referrals a year
Medium: about one a month
High: two or more a month
It also sought a mix of hospital sizes, independent liver and GI clinics, public, private and academic settings, and US regions. Physicians with fewer than three years in practice were screened out.
Besides exploring the pathway, phase 1 physicians reviewed and helped validate the draft questionnaire.
Phase 2 was a 30-minute online survey of 201 referring physicians: 131 gastroenterologists and 70 hepatologists or transplant hepatologists.
Including gastroenterologists with lower liver workloads mattered. Many patients first present outside specialist centers, so their habits shape who reaches an interventional radiologist.
Testing the survey with hepatologists and gastroenterologists in phase 1 gave the client confidence that the quantitative data reflected real practice. A parallel European study used the same design, allowing comparison across markets.
Related case studies:
Europe – 10 Interviews and 211 Liver Specialists: Portal Hypertension Referral
US & Europe – 45 Liver Specialists and Radiologists: Message Testing
Need to recruit hepatologists and gastroenterologists for market research? See our fieldwork recruitment services or email intel@mrdoctor.com.
