TGA stakeholder survey 2016

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16 November 2016

Communications, information and contact with the TGA

Communication and information services - Use

Use of communication and information services was strongly focussed on the TGA Website, eBusiness services portal and subscription information services (Table 11 and Figure 25). The TGA website is the most commonly and consistently used contact channel with the TGA and in this context represents a key communication and engagement resource across all stakeholder groups. More than 95% of respondents highlighted some use of the website, with just under, one in four highlighting use more than once a week. Similarly, the eBusiness services portal is accessed by more than 85% of the responding sample. There was high usage amongst all groups, although this was somewhat lower amongst those who self-identified within community groups.

Email subscription services were used regularly amongst the respondent group, with just under two thirds of participants highlighting some use of this service and around one in five highlighting weekly or more frequent contact via this channel.

Table 11: Information service - Frequency of use

Please indicate how much you use the following TGA services:
Statements Never Less than once a month About once a month Two or three times a month About once a week More than once a week Not sure Total
TGA RSS feed 72% 12% 4% 2% 2% 2% 6% 2541
TGA Consultation Forecast 57% 21% 7.80% 3.80% 2.40% 1% 8% 2543
TGA roadshows 65% 26% 2% 0.5% 0.4% 0.2% 6% 2545
TGA eBusiness services portal 12% 31% 13% 12% 8% 22% 2% 2554
TGA website 3% 28% 18% 14% 11% 24% 1% 2561
Email subscription information services 30% 24% 12% 7% 10% 10% 6% 2546
TGA Twitter 87% 7% 1% 0.7% 0.4% 0.2% 3.5% 2545
TGA information sessions 47% 39% 5% 1% 0.7% 0.8% 7% 2547
TGA conference booth 70% 21% 2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.4% 7% 2545

Despite being substantially lower than the core online channels, roadshows, information session and conference booth events were all highlighted by significant numbers of survey participants as methods of contact that they have used. Given the relatively low frequency of these events as well as the strong potential face-to-face engagement of said formats, these outcomes highlight a strong TGA presence and relatively strong interest amongst the sampled stakeholders in participation and engagement with TGA.

RSS feeds and Twitter were not frequently accessed or used by respondents, with just over one in five highlighting any use of the RSS feed and less than one in ten using TGA Twitter.

Figure 25: Information service - Frequency of use

Bar chart of Table 11

As highlighted in table 12, there was strong engagement with key communication channels across the range of major stakeholder groupings identified in the survey.

Table 12: Service use by Stakeholder category

Please indicate how much you use the following TGA services: (% any use)
Service Health pro Med Prod Ind Comm'ty Retailer Gov Academic Media Other
RSS feed 22% 22% 31% 22% 12% 15% 17% 19%
Consult'n Forecast 36% 38% 42% 39% 28% 31% 40% 30%
Roadshows 28% 33% 41% 24% 39% 20% 33% 29%
eBusiness portal 82% 89% 78% 84% 86% 81% 100% 81%
Website 96% 97% 95% 90% 93% 96% 100% 94%
Email subscription 66% 67% 65% 67% 58% 57% 83% 58%
Twitter 12% 9% 17% 12% 9% 12% 17% 7%
Info sessions 48% 50% 50% 36% 47% 42% 83% 46%
Conference booth 22% 26% 33% 20% 26% 18% 20% 22%

Within the medical products industry, engagement with the various methods of communication tended to be lower amongst sponsors and manufacturers. There were no clear patterns across community groupings.

Amongst health professionals there were some clear patterns emerging, with nurses and pharmacists showing a high likelihood of use of both the website and ebusiness portal. Pharmacists were generally strongly engaged across a range of measures, including consultations and roadshows and conference events. Complementary healthcare professionals, while less likely to use the website, were strongly engaged with consultation processes, tended to use the RSS feed more commonly and showed high use of the business portal.

Usefulness of information

There was large variation in the perceived usefulness of information services provided by the TGA. The information services that were most positively viewed were TGA guidelines (73%) nett Very or Extremely Useful, TGA updates (58%), TGA safety information (53%) and TGA eBS Notices (52%). The remaining information services showed nett Very or Extremely Useful outcomes of less than 50%, ranging from 22% for medicines shortages alerts to 46% for TGA consultations (Table 13). It was also common for respondents to rate the services as moderately useful, with between 14% and 28% selecting this option.

Despite the observed variation, it was generally the case that very few people highlighted that the range of information resources were not useful at all. Exceptions to this were medicines shortage alerts, where 29% felt the service was slightly or not at all useful, TGA AusPAR (24%), prescription medicine NCE registrations (27%) and scheduling of medicines and poisons (22%). It is worth noting that these services also generally showed higher levels of not applicable ratings, highlighting the targeted nature of these resources for specific groupings in the TGA stakeholder community.

Table 13: Usefulness of information services

Please indicate how useful the following information services are for you in your role:
Statements Nett Slightly useful Not at all useful Slightly useful Moderately useful Very useful Extremely useful Nett Very useful N/A Total
TGA Update 13% 2% 11% 26% 36% 22% 58% 3% 1610
TGA Safety information 15% 3% 12% 28% 35% 18% 53% 4% 1605
TGA Consultations 18% 6% 13% 25% 29% 17% 46% 10% 1567
TGA AusPAR 24% 12% 12% 20% 14% 10% 24% 31% 1559
TGA Guidelines 8% 2% 6% 17% 34% 38% 72% 3% 1575
TGA eBS Notices 15% 4% 11% 25% 31% 21% 52% 9% 1571
Medicines Safety Update 19% 9% 10% 21% 25% 13% 38% 22% 1567
Medical Devices Safety Update 19% 7% 12% 22% 26% 18% 44% 15% 1576
Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons 22% 10% 12% 20% 21% 14.2% 35% 23% 1328
Medicines Shortages Alerts 29% 16% 13% 17% 14% 8% 22% 32% 1607
Prescription medicine NCE registrations 27% 15% 12% 14% 14% 9% 24% 36% 985

As is evident in Tables 14-16, there was some variation in the usefulness of various information across different stakeholder groupings. Retailers and academics appeared less likely to find TGA updates useful. Health professionals and academics were more likely to find TGA safety information services useful, while retailers were more likely to find this service slightly or not at all useful. TGA consultations were slightly more favoured amongst medical products industry (49%) and community (46%) participants, although these outcomes were not substantially above the overall average. AUSpar showed generally low usefulness amongst retailers (11%) and government (6%) stakeholders. Medical devices safety updates were strongly valued by government and academics, with academics also highlighting high usefulness for TGA guidelines. Health professionals showed strong usefulness on the more specific measures such as scheduling (47%), medicines shortages (31%) and NCE registrations (28%).

Table 14: Usefulness of information services by stakeholder category - Part A

Please indicate how useful the following information services are for you in your role:
Category TGA Update TGA Safety information TGA Consultations TGA AusPAR
Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful
Total 14% 58% 15% 53% 18% 46% 24% 24%
Health Professional 15% 54% 13% 58% 22% 40% 23% 23%
Medical Products Industry 11% 61% 14% 54% 17% 49% 24% 27%
Community 22% 51% 18% 53% 27% 46% 27% 29%
Retailer 26% 46% 23% 52% 30% 39% 26% 11%
Government 21% 55% 21% 52% 19% 34% 34% 6%
Academic 15% 49% 15% 60% 27% 36% 26% 20%
Media 20% 60% 0% 25% 20% 60% 67% 33%
Other 19% 56% 17% 50% 18% 42% 27% 20%

Table 15: Usefulness of information services by stakeholder category - Part B

Please indicate how useful the following information services are for you in your role:
Category Medicines Safety Update Medical Devices Safety Update TGA Guidelines TGA eBS Notices
Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful
Total 19% 38% 19% 44% 8% 73% 15% 52%
Health Professional 13% 54% 18% 46% 9% 69% 15% 49%
Medical Products Industry 19% 38% 19% 46% 6% 75% 12% 55%
Community 12% 50% 20% 37% 17% 68% 22% 49%
Retailer 24% 31% 17% 46% 14% 57% 20% 42%
Government 13% 29% 13% 50% 12% 72% 13% 48%
Academic 16% 49% 16% 57% 9% 81% 17% 42%
Media 0% 20% 0% 40% 0% 80% 20% 60%
Other 22% 33% 22% 37% 10% 69% 17% 48%

Table 16: Usefulness of information services by stakeholder category - Part C

Please indicate how useful the following information services are for you in your role:
Category Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons Medicines Shortages Alerts Prescription medicine NCE registrations
Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful Nett Slightly useful Nett very useful
Total 22% 35% 29% 22% 27% 24%
Health Professional 17% 47% 24% 31% 23% 28%
Medical Products Industry 22% 35% 30% 22% 26% 24%
Community 20% 49% 27% 23% 27% 29%
Retailer 27% 36% 33% 24% 33% 24%
Government 25% 18% 25% 13% 34% 13%
Academic 18% 49% 25% 31% 25% 30%
Media 25% 25% 0% 20% 20% 20%
Other 22% 39% 32% 17% 29% 18%

As outlined in the tables 14‒16, those in the community category were generally in line with the overall average on measures of usefulness. The most notable exceptions here were in relation to medicines safety information (50%) and scheduling of medicines and poisons (49%), where this group showed a high level of very or extremely useful ratings. In the community category there was minimal variation across sub groups, although the consumer representative participants did appear to find most information sources slightly more useful than other groups.

In the health professionals grouping, there were observable differences across professional categories. Medical and dental practitioners showed generally lower engagement with the more general communication channels (e.g. TGA updates, consultations and safety information). In contrast, dental practitioners were strongly engaged with medical practitioners and nurses strongly engaged with medicines shortage alerts. Nurses also showed high usefulness outcomes on NCE registrations and medical device safety updates. Complementary medicine practitioners generally found the range of general information sources useful, were strongly engaged with medicines alerts and scheduling and were less engaged with devices focussed information. Pharmacists more commonly than most groups found medicines safety updates and scheduling information highly useful. This group, along with nurses, also showed very high usefulness outcomes for TGA guidelines, indicating a strong reliance on this information in their work.

In the medical products industry grouping, regulatory affairs consultants showed strong perceptions of usefulness across a broad range of measures, highlighting this group as a key user of a broad range of information channels. This included higher ratings in comparison to other stakeholders in the medical products industry in relation to updates, safety information, AusPAR, TGA guidelines, EBS notices, scheduling of medicines and NCE registrations. Industry association representatives showed strong usefulness ratings across measures of consultation and TGA updates.

Frequency of contact

Amongst participants who highlighted their level of contact with TGA, just over half highlighted that their contact is limited to less frequently than once a month (and another 4.5% highlighted that they Never have contact with TGA). The remaining group (42%) are in regular contact (monthly or more frequently) with the TGA, with around 9% being in contact more than once a week.

Table 17: Frequency of contact with the TGA

How often do you have contact with the TGA?
Statements Never Less than once a month About once a month Two or three times a month About once a week More than once a week Total
How often do you have contact with the TGA? 5% 51% 17% 12% 6% 9% 2429

Figure 26: Frequency of contact with TGA

Bar chart of Table 17

Retailers, academics and media are in contact less often than other groups, with two thirds or more of these groups highlighting either no contact or contact less than once a month. All other stakeholder groups showed a generally similar level of contact, although there was some tendency for those in the medical products industry and community categories to report high levels of very frequent contact (more than once a week, both 11%; Table 18 and Figure 27).

Table 18: Frequency of contact by stakeholder category

How often do you have contact with the TGA?
Category Never Less than once a month About once a month Two or three times a month About once a week More than once a week n
Health Professional 4% 53% 20% 12% 4% 7% 438
Medical Products Industry 4% 47% 18% 13% 7% 11% 1571
Community member, consumer or comm rep 6% 47% 9% 20% 6% 11% 64
Retailer 9% 71% 11% 7% 0% 2% 161
Government 2% 46% 29% 20% 2% 2% 56
Academic 6% 60% 15% 11% 3% 6% 142
Media 0% 67% 0% 0% 0% 33% 6
Other 5% 49% 18% 14% 6% 9% 387

Medical products industry participants showed some variation across sub groups, with particularly frequent contact reported amongst regulatory affairs consultants (70% monthly or more frequently) and industry association representatives (66%).

The health professionals contact levels are largely driven by high levels of frequent contact amongst pharmacists (65% monthly or more often). This is contrasted by low levels of contact amongst medical practitioners (23%), nurses (32%) and dental practitioners (35%).

In the community group, the carers were in contact less frequently than other groups.

Reasons for contact

The most common reasons for contact were to lodge an application and to check the progress of an application with the TGA (Table 19 and Figure 28). These contact reasons were less common amongst community members than other groups. Seeking information about products, information about manufacturing and importing/exporting focussed issues were also commonly identified amongst the range of stakeholders responding to the survey.

Figure 27: Frequency of contact - Monthly or more often - with TGA by Stakeholder category

Bar chart of Table 18

Table 19: Reasons for contact

For which of the following do you contact the TGA?
Contact type n
Lodging an application with the TGA 1618
Progress of an application with the TGA 1356
Information on specific product(s) 740
Information about manufacturing products 696
Importing/exporting products 681
In response to TGA consultation activities 635
Reporting, or enquiring about, a problem with a medical device or medicine, including medicine shortages 542
Product recall(s) 419
Other, please specify 284
Feedback on TGA service delivery 248
Not applicable - I don't contact the TGA* 73

*Note: A further 110 respondents highlighted at Q7 that they Never have contact with the TGA. This group was not presented with Q8 in the survey.

Responses identifying more specific issues, such as product recalls and problems with a device, medicine or medicine shortage while less commonly identified by participants, still represented significant contact points. Other contacts, highlighted by 248 participants, included a broad range of contact focus areas. Commonly this included contact relating to fees and costs, audit and inspection activities, clinical trial notifications , clarifications and advice, advertising, eBS queries and assistance, guidance clarification and general advice, Special Access Scheme and other administrative contacts (such as password resets).

Figure 28: Reasons for contact

Bar chart of Table 19

Respondents commonly highlighted a range of reasons for making contact, with an average of 3.2 reasons identified per respondent. Most often, respondents highlighted two or three reasons (Table 20).

Table 20: Reasons for contact - number of reasons

Number of selections n
1 402
2 500
3 475
4 366
5 228
6 130
7 64
8 36
9 28
10 2
Average 3.2

Contact channels

The most common contact channel was via email, followed by phone (Table 21 and Figure 29). Along with the website, these channels represent the key methods of contact that will be utilised by those wishing to make contact with TGA. This pattern was similar across all groups and sub-groups in the survey.

Despite their relatively small usage, letter and fax contact methods are still utilised by a small proportion of people and will continue to need some monitoring and resourcing. These methods were most commonly used by those in the medical products industry and health professionals, with very few community members or other stakeholders making contact in this way.

Table 21: Contact channel and number of channels

Contact channel n
Email 2001
Telephone 1634
Website 819
Letter 284
Fax 48
Other 50
Number of channels identified n
1 485
2 1012
3 592
4 114
5 19
Average 2.2

Figure 29: Contact channel

Bar chart of Table 21 contact channel

Response times

Respondents who highlighted use of the individual contact channels identified in the survey were asked to highlight how long it generally takes to receive a response (Table 22 and Figure 30). The contact method with the fastest average resolution time was via the phone, with just under three in ten highlighting immediate response and 83% experiencing a response in two days or less. Website contacts also showed strong response levels, with just ten percent achieving an immediate response and 58% receiving a response in two days or less. Similarly, whilst showing a lower level of immediate response, email response times were relatively strong, with 55% response levels within two days. Further progress in this area can be achieved by shifting the significant numbers of response times relating to email and website contacts in the three to ten day response period.

Letter and fax response times were slower, however it is important to highlight here that the method of contact will often have a significant impact on the expectation of responsiveness and the speed of response (e.g. most obviously in the case of a written letter, an immediate response would not generally be expected).

Response time patterns were generally similar across the range of stakeholder groups within the survey.

Table 22: Response times by contact category

Generally, how long does it take the TGA to respond to your enquiry:
Statements Immed'ly <1 day 1-2 days 3-10 days 11-20 days >20 days Total
Phone enquiries 29% 27% 28% 13% 1% 2% 1578
Email 1% 15% 39% 35% 6% 5% 1946
Letter 0.7% 0.7% 5% 44% 28% 22% 269
Fax 2% 7% 22% 44% 13% 11% 45
Contact via the website 10% 15% 33% 33% 4% 6% 761
Other enquiry method 16% 13% 12% 22% 16% 22% 32

Figure 30: Response times by contact category

Bar chart of Table 22

Satisfaction with response

Satisfaction with responses was highest for phone enquiries (nett satisfied 70%), which offer the highest level of personal contact and ability to gain an in depth understanding of the issues and appropriate response (Table 23 and Figure 31). To ensure this method remains a strong performance area, attention should be paid to ensuring that call answer times are minimised, logical and efficient call architecture is established and limited call forwarding is experienced by users. Email, fax and website contact methods all showed similar patterns, with between 62% and 66% nett satisfaction. Contact via letter showed slightly lower nett satisfaction (56%) and higher dissatisfaction (17%).

Amongst the various stakeholder groupings the patterns of satisfaction levels for the various contact methods were, in most instances, similar. It is worth noting that for those contacting TGA via letter, there was some variation, with retailers, health professionals and academics showing lower levels of satisfaction here.

Table 23: Response satisfaction

Generally, how satisfied are you with the TGA response to your enquiry:
Contact method Nett Dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Satisfied Very satisfied Nett Satisfied Total
Phone enquiries 13% 4% 9% 17% 52% 19% 70% 1601
Email 15% 5% 10% 20% 51% 15% 66% 1961
Letter 17% 4% 13% 27% 45% 11% 56% 271
Fax 11% 9% 2% 27% 49% 13% 62% 45
Via website 11% 4% 7% 26% 51% 12% 63% 781
Other method 11% 6% 6% 22% 47% 19% 67% 36

Figure 31: Nett satisfied by contact type by stakeholder category

Bar chart showing nett satisfied by contact type by stakeholder group

The strongest indicator of satisfaction with contact experiences identified in the survey was response time (Figure 32). Where response times were greater, there was a marked tendency for lower satisfaction and higher dissatisfaction to be expressed. This highlights the importance of prompt service outcomes in stakeholder relationships. A focus on encouraging and facilitating contact methods that facilitate faster turnaround (such as email and website contact) is warranted.

Figure 32: Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction with contact (all contact methods) vs Response time

Line graph of Table 23 nett dissatisified and nett satisfied

Communications - Overall satisfaction

Overall nett satisfaction with the experience of communicating with the TGA was observed at 63%, with just under 15% highlighting some level of dissatisfaction (Table 24).

Table 24: Communication- Overall satisfaction

Overall, how satisfied are you with the experience of COMMUNICATING with the TGA?
Statements Nett Dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Satisfied Very satisfied Nett Satisfied Total
Communication 15% 5% 10% 22% 50% 13% 63% 2187

Amongst the various stakeholder groups, media (67%), government (67%) and medical products industry respondents were the most likely to express satisfaction (Table 25). Community members (59%), retailers (58%), health professionals (57%) and academics (54%) showed slightly lower satisfaction, with these groups also showing trends toward higher levels of dissatisfaction.

Table 25: Communication - Overall satisfaction by stakeholder category

Overall, how satisfied are you with the experience of COMMUNICATING with the TGA?
Category Nett Dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Satisfied Very satisfied Nett Satisfied n
Health Professional 18% 5% 13% 25% 43% 13% 57% 403
Medical Products Industry 15% 5% 10% 21% 51% 13% 64% 1463
Community member, consumer or community representative 22% 10% 12% 19% 46% 14% 59% 59
Retailer 17% 8% 10% 25% 47% 11% 58% 144
Government 13% 4% 9% 20% 46% 20% 67% 54
Academic 18% 2% 16% 27% 40% 15% 54% 131
Media 33% 17% 17% 0% 50% 17% 67% 6
Other 14% 4% 10% 24% 48% 14% 62% 350

In the health professional grouping there was marked variation across professional categories in terms of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction levels. Nurses (nett dissatisfaction 14%) and pharmacists (9%) showed generally low dissatisfaction levels, while complementary healthcare professionals (29%), dental practitioners (27%) and medical practitioners (22%) showed high levels of dissatisfaction.

Similar levels of satisfaction were observed across all groups in the medical products industry category with the exception of the “Other” grouping, where there was a much lower level of nett satisfaction (46%), and higher neither (31%) and nett dissatisfaction (23%) levels. Within the community grouping, lower levels of satisfaction and higher dissatisfaction were observed amongst patients (59% nett satisfaction and 22% nett dissatisfaction), consumers (57% and 18%) and carers (58% and 17%), although it is worth noting that these levels of nett dissatisfaction are in line with the overall outcome across the total sample.

Table 26: Communication - Overall satisfaction by Industry, Community and Health professional categories

Overall, how satisfied are you with the experience of COMMUNICATING with the TGA?
Category Nett Dissatisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Nett Satisfied
Medical products industry
Product sponsor 16% 20% 64%
Product manufacturer 13% 21% 65%
Regulatory affairs consultant 14% 19% 67%
Industry association representative 13% 21% 66%
Other 23% 31% 46%
Community
Consumer 18% 25% 57%
Consumer health representative or advocate 15% 21% 64%
Patient 22% 19% 59%
Carer 17% 25% 58%
Other 13% 20% 67%
Health professional
Complementary healthcare practitioner 29% 18% 53%
Dental practitioner 27% 13% 60%
Medical practitioner 22% 25% 53%
Nurse 14% 17% 69%
Pharmacist 9% 34% 57%
Other 17% 26% 57%

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