Q. What is KOL research?
A. KOL research gathers insights from Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), and is a critical component of understanding the future of a given therapeutic area since these experts have intimate knowledge of where research is heading and where treatments may be in the future. KOLs generally have special insights because they are expert in a specific area of medicine and treatment and are leading the way forward in terms of innovation and understanding of a medical condition or disease.
KOLs come in many shapes and sizes, as the level of expertise can vary and the extent of insights from an individual can sometimes be more useful than that of their peers. Excellent KOLs have a grasp of the future as well as excellent communication skills which allows them to share their insights in a clear manner and become a guide for where things are going in terms of treatment.
KOLs can be researchers who are focused on a specific therapy, or be physicians with high-volume practices seeing large numbers of patients with specific conditions or diseases, or be experimenters who are willing to push the boundaries of current therapy and forge new directions in their approach to treatment.
Importantly, KOLs can help guide a pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturer forward with critical strategic decisions about the direction of specific therapies and brands, or even entire treatment areas.
The variety of KOLs means that each KOL research study must decide the needs of the project at its start.
The world of the KOL may be quite different from the typical prescriber or practicing physician, so this type of project should be used carefully, but output from KOLs has the potential to be a guidepost for the future and as such can be invaluable asset for strategic planning.
KOL research is generally a very hands-on and in-depth study, and costs of such work is also higher than other types of research.