The initiative follows the success of the company’s North America Healthcare Panels, first launched in the United States in 2006 and most recently launched in Canada. A recruitment push is under way with mailings being sent out to increase the number of UK medical panellists.

The UK Healthcare Panel intends to include physicians as well as a variety of other healthcare professionals, including nurses, pharmacists, hospital administrators and veterinarians. The company says that the end result should be a “more deeply profiled panel that provides access to a specific demographic of survey respondents in the healthcare industry, enabling clients to include non-US countries in their healthcare research.”

Research Now says it plans to expand its healthcare research capabilities into five markets in Europe. German and French panels are also set to open in 2012, with Italy and Spain to follow.

Steve Young, senior director of healthcare solutions at Research Now, said: “Our clients’ needs are shifting, and we are responding to their needs by providing access to a very niche group of panellists to better accommodate the most complex research projects.”