Putting the patients at the heart of what we do
A Life in a Day was founded on a belief that healthcare is best when patients are put at its heart. So, we are 100 percent behind the concept of National Patient Recognition Week (1-7 Feb, U.S.A) where we will most definitely be supporting the conversations on LinkedIn.
Within this amazing week of recognition and understanding, we review the importance of patient recognition days, the value of patient-focused initiatives and explain why we are patient-obsessed.
Why is it important to reflect during Patient Recognition Week?
Every year on 1-7 February, the emphasis is put on the patients and the improvement of their experience throughout the healthcare process.
During this week, all of us within the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors can really step back and think about how we can improve the lives of people with chronic diseases.
With organisations doing more and more to put patients at forefront of the decision-making process, this week offers us as a team a fantastic opportunity to reflect and review on current successes in delivering amazing patient experiences and being patient obsessed.
In creating our immersive experiences, we have sat down with hundreds of individuals living with chronic diseases and would like to celebrate this week by sharing some of their stories.
Understanding language
People often do not want to feel like they are defined by their illness, and they most definitely do not want to be treated like a number, or statistic. In our diabetes week webinar, we spoke with patient advocate, Mark Duman who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In the discussion, alongside Dr Thomas Barber, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Endocrinologist, we learned the value of talking the language of patients, not just the language of medicine.
I’m often treated as a disease. If I’m lucky, then as a patient, and if I’m even luckier, we begin to touch around ‘What’s important to you Mark? What’s your illness perception? What’s your medication perception?’”
Using patient language can not only improve patient but may also open up a conversation that can drive greater innovation for both individual, and wider, care.
Dealing with the wider impact
Ask yourself: Would you skip a round of your medication if it means you wouldn’t have to miss your partner or best friend’s birthday celebration? These are questions and choices faced by people every day.
My family are always telling me off for not taking my pills, but I don’t think anyone realises how annoying it is to have to plan meals around medication.” Sometimes I’m in meetings before lunch so can’t take it, or I’m really busy and don’t realise how hungry I am until I’m starving. Then I don’t want to have to wait 30 minutes or I’ve got another meeting to go to, so yeah, sometimes it’s easier to just skip a dose. I just want to eat when I’m hungry, not schedule it in all the time."
The A Life in a Day experience is designed to immerse participants in a patient’s shoes, allowing them to experience more than just the illness. In just 24 hours, we share the impact on friends, family, work and more – offering a unique insight and driving empathy to help create a patient-centric culture within your workplace.
Much more…
Our experiences are not didactic. We do not tell you how to improve a patient’s life but instead share stories and experiences, allowing teams to be more empathetic, which allows small changes that make big differences for others.
We are amazed by the feedback and resulting case studies from our participants highlighting small changes they can make to support better outcomes for patients’ and we seem to only be scratching at the surface of what can be done.
As a result of this experience we are now developing patient and caregiver educational materials on how to better take care of their skin, understand the disease and thus be more compliant to the treatment.”
Get in touch with us to learn how we can help you meet your patient-centric goals.
Nick Lester
Zara Nadim
Barbara Fusco
Alfie White
Josh Hamilton
Chiara Keating
Beverley Bryant
Rebecca Parry
Paul Gascoigne
Kelly Bibb
Katya Emanuel
Bianca Claydon
Mostafa Naseef
Cora Graham
Kate Jackson
Mark Doyle
Mark Duman MRPharmS brings over 30 years of clinician, management consultant and patient perspectives to the healthcare, life sciences and digital health sectors. Working in the NHS, The King’s Fund, the BBC, and as a Founder of the Patient Information Forum, Mark endeavours to make healthcare more person-centric. As the Chief Patient Officer for MD Healthcare, he works with organisations such as AstraZeneca, Diabetes UK, Google Health, Innovate UK, JnJ, Macmillan Cancer Support, Microsoft, Pfizer, Novartis and Siemens Healthineers to harness digital health, develop markets and improve patient engagement.
