A Passive Monitoring Study Among UK PrEP Prescribers

Client

A Global Healthcare Research Organization

Service

HCP Research / Passive Digital Behaviour Monitoring 

Sector

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Coverage

United Kingdom

A global healthcare research organization partnered with us for a passive monitoring study among PrEP prescribers and qualified HCPs involved in HIV prevention, treatment, and patient care. The study focused on understanding how prescribers search for healthcare information online, which digital resources they rely on, and how their online journeys reflect real clinical information needs.

We developed the research to move beyond recall-based HCP interviews. Instead of asking participants to remember their search behaviour, the study used a downloadable passive monitoring app to observe relevant digital activity over a 14-day period. This passive data collection approach captured real-world information-seeking patterns across search engines, websites, apps, and healthcare resources related to PrEP, HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care.

The Challenge

In specialised areas such as HIV prevention, HCPs rely on multiple digital touchpoints to stay informed. Their online behaviour can include prescribing guidance, treatment pathways, patient management, clinical updates, support resources and disease education.

The client needed a more reliable way to understand this behaviour because recall-based interviews can miss important details. HCPs may not remember every website visited, search performed or resource reviewed during routine practice, making a passive monitoring study more effective for capturing real information-seeking patterns.

The client needed visibility into:

• PrEP prescriber search patterns around HIV prevention and treatment-related information.
• Healthcare websites, digital resources and platform touchpoints used during professional journeys.
• Content themes linked to diagnosis, treatment, care and patient management.
• Cross-platform movement during a normal working period.
• Behavioural evidence that standard interviews may not fully capture.

Because the study involved digital tracking, privacy and compliance were essential. The research did not collect personally identifiable information or encrypted data, keeping the observation focused only on relevant online healthcare activity.

What We Did

We built a focused passive monitoring study using RealityMeter to observe real information-seeking behaviour among qualified UK-based healthcare professionals. Participants installed the app and consented to relevant activity tracking across a minimum 14-day period.

The study included:

• Recruitment of UK-based HCPs involved in PrEP prescribing and HIV care.
• Observation of digital journeys linked to HIV prevention, treatment and patient management.
• Use of RealityMeter for compliant passive research capture.
• Review of searches, websites, apps and healthcare resource usage.
• A minimum 14-day participation window.
• Locally moderated online WATI support.
• Targeted sample size of 6 participants.

This approach captured behaviour as it happened, without depending only on post-task recall. It gave the client a clearer view of resource choices, search sequences and real HCP research behaviour.

The Impact of the Research

The study delivered a behaviour-led view of how PrEP prescribers interact with online healthcare information. It showed which digital touchpoints, resource types and search pathways influenced how HCPs built understanding around HIV prevention and patient care.

Key outcomes included:

• Real-world visibility into HCP information-seeking behaviour.
• Evidence of how PrEP prescribers used online resources.
• Clearer understanding of digital touchpoints linked to HIV prevention and treatment education.
• Stronger insight into search patterns around diagnosis, care and patient management.
• A sharper foundation for HCP education, digital engagement and content strategy.

By using passive monitoring, the research captured what HCPs actually did online, not only what they recalled later. This gave the client more grounded healthcare insights into digital behaviour in a specialised category where timely, credible information plays a critical role.

For healthcare teams seeking a sharper read on real HCP information needs, connect with us to uncover digital behaviour, content reliance and engagement opportunities across complex healthcare markets.