- A pharma company wanted to enhance their patient centricity by including all teams
- The company collaborated with A Life in a Day to create an immersive patient experience of a person living with obesity
- The experience saw 99% of participants increase their patient focus at work
Addressing The Stigma For Patients
Already well versed in true patient centricity, a pharmaceutical company were looking to deepen their team’s understanding and empathy of the patients they serve beyond their existing practices. Although staff in patient-facing roles were familiar with the company’s patient centric approach, leadership felt, for the company’s growth, that every team and every job function within the organisation should be involved. The company was looking for a way to foster empathy within their workforce, particularly with a focus on the stigma associated with people living with obesity.
A Life in a Day of Living With Obesity
The company partnered with A Life in a Day to create a 24-hour immersive experience for its employees, where they have the chance to walk in a patient’s shoes of a person living with obesity. Over 380 employees globally took part in the experience, including individuals working within compliance, medical, commercial, and finance.
The immersive patient experience consists of patient stories, practical simulations through kit items, app challenges, and roleplay phone calls to emulate the challenges that a person living with obesity may go through. The creation of the experience also included patients living with obesity throughout the development process ensuring its relevance and authenticity. The experience was then rolled out to teams around the world including North America, Asia, and Europe.
Impact and Results
Two months after the initial global rollout, the results showed a substantial increase in empathy and understanding for patients living with obesity. Notably, participants stated that the training had an emotional and profound impact, which has inspired changes in both their professional practices and in their personal attitudes. There was expressed support for broader adoption of the programme from senior leaders who took part and observed the changes within their personal perspective and their team’s feedback.
By raising awareness and understanding, the program effectively built a stronger foundation for patient-centricity, fostering a more empathetic organisational culture and reinforcing the company’s commitment to reducing stigma around obesity. The company is continuing to roll out the experience to all of their staff irrespective of their job function or therapy area focus, developing patient centricity within all corners of the business.
