Intraocular lens (IOL) manufacturer Rayner has developed Peer2Peer – an online clinical program and resource hub for doctors to interact with the new world of ophthalmic content.
The open access Peer2Peer website has been designed to adapt to the modern “deluge of information” and disseminate it accordingly. The company also said the platform equips surgeons with the resources to enhance their skills and champion exceptional patient care in cataract and refractive surgery.
In 2023, the website generated 5,500 hours of viewing across over 30 podcasts, 11 symposiums, and more than 100 surgeon interviews, which Rayner said is testament to the quality of the KOL surgeon content creators, and the interest from the ophthalmic community to continually learn from their peers’ experiences.
As part of its strategy, the company is leveraging consumers’ dependency on word-of-mouth from peers to evaluate goods and services.
“Surgeons, no longer want to hear from corporate marketing,” Rayner international marketing manager Mr Dave Maritz said.
“They much prefer to hear from their peers about their experience with the latest products and solutions. Peer2Peer provides them with a great platform to do just that. We are in the middle of a boom in influencer marketing, and I believe ophthalmology is as much an influencer market as any other.”
The decentralisation of the platform has resulted in a nexus of both clinical and experiential information from some of the world’s top ophthalmic surgeons – all collaborating to cover the topics they see as important to advance their practices and provide enhanced patient care.
“We host the platform and facilitate the content creation, but it’s the opinion and experiences of the surgeons that can be seen and heard when visiting the platform,” Maritz said.
“It’s for surgeons, by surgeons.”
The Peer2Peer Podcast
To broaden its offerings, Peer2Peer recently introduced ‘Peer2Peer The Podcast’ in January 2023 which Maritz said offers “bite-sized chunks” of relevant clinical content that can be digested on the go, thereby convenient for surgeons’ busy lifestyles.
Covering diverse topics such as getting started with blended vision, women in ophthalmology, comparing hydrophilic versus hydrophobic IOL materials, and other trending subjects in ophthalmology, the podcast provides on-the-go learning.
Australian ophthalmologists have embraced the platform with Professor Graham Barrett and Dr Ben LaHood leading the charge in sharing their knowledge and experience, as well as hosting other world-renowned ophthalmologists on the platform.
“I get autonomy from Rayner to ask anything, even controversial questions, and they are happy for us to discuss other brands, negatives and positives. This kind of honesty is what makes people listen,” LaHood said.
Rayner has developed a podcast that stands out from the rest and maintains popularity with 30 episodes released and over 14,000 listens. It features perspectives from prominent international surgeons and is available on Spotify or Apple.
“The Peer2Peer podcast is different to other podcasts and remains popular as it involves some of the top surgeons from around the world, chatting openly about their experiences without limits. It is also one of the few industry sponsored podcasts which remains easily accessible without a paywall or needing to log in to a website,” LaHood said.
“Great content, entertainment and availability are the keys to a good podcast and Peer2Peer nails it.”
Among the most popular podcasts, ophthalmologist Professor Gerd Auffarth and LaHood discussed hydrophilic IOLs and the widespread concerns about the materials, which went on to become one of the most read articles of the year in a well-renowned ophthalmic magazine.
“Both of us agreed that the negatives had been massively blown out of proportion to the benefits. This was an extremely popular episode, which went on to being converted to an article in EuroTimes, the magazine of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery,” LaHood said.
With its user-friendly interface, Rayner said the Peer2Peer platform ensures easy navigation through its extensive library.
According to the company, Peer2Peer is constantly evolving to respond to trends across the industry.
“We have so much content now that we’ve incorporated an enhanced search function. There’s also a new FAQ tab, which links timestamped content to frequently asked questions, enabling those who don’t have the time to watch an entire webinar to get to the precise content they’re looking for,” Maritz said.
“Additionally, there is a link to Rayner’s patient education hub that provides patients the resources they need to understand more about their surgery.”
The platform is available here: www.rayner.com/peer2peer.
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