“Being recognised by the PMEA Awards shows the power of what we do.”

In November we attended a very special event – the 2021 PMEA Awards – after A Life in a Day was chosen as a finalist in the patient centricity category. Here, our Director, Kate Jackson, talks about the evening and what it means for A Life in a Day to be recognised by the industry.

“It’s phenomenal to be a finalist for the PMEA Award for Patient-Centricity. To be in a room with all those people who have a wealth of experience, knowledge and understanding was brilliant. Quite often it’s big agencies with multi-service solutions, lots of resources and experience that win awards. So, to be a finalist shows the power of what we do. 

Recognising the importance of patient centricity in healthcare

The industry focus on patient centricity is fantastic. Patient centricity as an award didn’t exist until recently so it’s great it’s being recognised. It demonstrates the importance of our work.

A Life in a Day is an immersive journey designed to engage people on an emotive level. We say it makes you act, think and speak like a patient. And, ultimately, it makes you feel differently about chronic diseases and helps you understand what it’s like to live with a lifelong condition.

If you want people to change their behaviour and be more patient focused, the best way to do this is to engage them emotionally. This will build empathy and encourage them to focus on the patient.

Building relationships in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors

As part of our award entry, we highlighted a project we developed in partnership with AstraZeneca. They’re one of our longest-serving clients and we work with them across different therapy areas. They were tremendously excited when we asked them if we could use the case study in our entry. 

A Life in a Day is demonstrably helping the pharmaceutical company to achieve their patient focus goals. For example, they’ve seen a 20% increase in patient-focused conversations between their UK field sales staff and healthcare professionals in 2021. 

Being able to talk about our work with AstraZeneca and the award is hugely beneficial. Being shortlisted as a finalist in the PMEA Awards proves our capability and helps to build trust. 

A Life in a Day is all about changing behaviour, which can take time. It’s not quick results so the outcomes can seem intangible for some people. So, to be able to say that the industry has recognised what we’re doing is invaluable.

Bringing the team together

One of the highlights of the evening was being able to spend some time with the people I work with. Since the start of the pandemic, there’s been little opportunity for us to get together as a team. To have the opportunity to network after such a long time was great.

The only downside of the evening was trying to find a pair of shoes to wear. It’s been a while since I’ve worn smart shoes. No one has been out for that long.”

Find out more about our work and the experiences we offer.