D i g i t a l C ommunications E me r g e process to plan for more productive subsequent visits. To date, three major tablet PC technical platforms have emerged—Skura, ProScape, and Exploria. An agency's creative challenge is to build flexibility into the message development process, since the tablet PC offers the opportunity of tailored (customer-centric) detailing. The third core digital trend is in the mobile space— eg, smart phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) such as Treos, iPhones, and Blackberrys. Physicians are increasing their utilization of mobile devices as drug reference databases for medication alerts and to stay on top of the latest medical news. This new digital medium has also been embraced by a few savvy entrepreneurs (Epocrates and Skyscape) and large publishing entities (Thompson and Wolters Kluwer). The fourth, final, and most interesting trend has been the advent of physician social networking. The Web 2.0 environment harnesses the power of collective wisdom, prediction markets and social networking technologies. It enables physicians to discuss new clinical findings and work together to dramatically improve patient care. Physicians are using sites such as Sermo and Medscape Physician Connect to ask and answer questions of each other, to build consensus around the latest medical trends, and to exchange medical insights about drugs and devices the minute they learn about them, rather than waiting to read about them in conventional news sources or hear about them from a company representative. The largest physician-only online community, Sermo today boasts more than 110,000 physicians. One challenge for both agencies and clients is how to leverage these communities to gain insights and knowledge about brand products and communication strategies without arousing professional ire. Careful concern for issues of intrusion and privacy through between physical and digital worlds holds tremendous creative potential 117
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