A Life in a Day shortlisted for PMEA award

We’re thrilled to be a finalist for the Award for Patient Centricity at the Pharmaceutical Market Excellence Awards (PMEA) 2021.

Our entry for the PMEA Award for Patient Centricity has made the final shortlist, recognising the work we do to support pharmaceutical companies to develop effective and lasting strategies that put patients at the centre of healthcare.

PMEA says patient centricity is a “mindset and practice that challenges organisations to understand, engage and collaborate with patients to get critical input to determine the best strategy that will improve the patient experience and outcomes.”

A Life in a Day was developed for this very reason: to help improve patients’ experiences and outcomes. The emotive experiences we develop are designed to increase empathy – a key part of effective patient centricity. Our immersive simulations allow pharmaceutical and healthcare professionals to step into a patient’s shoes and experience the challenges and choices they face on a daily basis.

We believe healthcare works best when everyone involved recognises and focuses on patient’s needs, and we know that empathy plays a key role in how people understand and relate to each other. Studies show that, in healthcare, empathy:

• builds trust between patients and healthcare professionals
• enhances care
• improves patient recovery and clinical outcomes
• increases patient satisfaction
• positively impacts on everyone’s mental and emotional wellbeing.^{1, 2, 3, 4}

A Life in a Day experiences are developed with patients to make sure they accurately reflect all aspects of their lives. When developing experiences for new therapy areas, we undertake research and interviews with patients, specialist nurses, consultants and patient support groups. This helps us to understand:

• the physical impact and symptoms of the disease, and common treatment side-effects
• how the condition affects a person’s emotional wellbeing, including self-esteem
• what social impact the condition can have on relationships, family life, work and friends

The winner of the Award for Patient Centricity will be announced at the PMEA awards ceremony on Wednesday 24th November. Keep an eye on our website to find out the results on the night.

Read more about our work and therapy areas.

1. Moudatsou M, Stavropoulou A, Philalithis A, Koukouli S. The Role of Empathy in Health and Social Care Professionals. Healthcare (Basel). 2020;8(1):26. Published 2020 Jan 30. doi:10.3390/healthcare8010026
2. Jeffrey D. Empathy, sympathy and compassion in healthcare: Is there a problem? Is there a difference? Does it matter? Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2016;109(12):446-452. doi:10.1177/0141076816680120 
3. Kerasidou A, Bærøe K, Berger Z, et alThe need for empathetic healthcare systemsJournal of Medical Ethics Published Online First: 24 July 2020. doi: 10.1136/ medethics-2019-105921
4. Howick J, Mittoo S, Abel L, Halpern J, Mercer S. A price tag on clinical empathy? Factors influencing its cost-effectiveness. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2020;113(10):389-393. doi:10.1177/014107