Following a series of conversations with patients in creating our experiences, we highlight the value of really developing long-term relationships with patients and the benefits of this – which is immensely important at driving improved patient outcomes and valuable insights for pharmaceutical companies.
If you have watched some of our recent Meet the Patient videos, you may have identified one recurring theme: Patients do not always feel like they are being heard – especially past certain key points in their treatment cycle. Patient advocates have spoken out about how having a professional listen to them has led to major breakthroughs in their physical and mental wellbeing.
This is great for the patient, but what does it mean to a pharmaceutical or healthcare organisation once they have passed the stage of treatment relevant to them? The answer is, in fact, quite a lot – so much so that the FDA is increasingly emphasising the need for companies to actively involve patients throughout the drug development and approval process.
When dealing with a health condition, it’s not just about the medication. It is about being heard, understood, and supported effectively. We need to move beyond simply treating symptoms and truly connect with the person behind the diagnosis.
No longer a “quick fix”
There have been major strides in R&D for many chronic diseases. People are living longer when it comes to some chronic diseases – resulting in many opportunities for patients and HCPs to identify and make the most out of new, emerging therapies and medication. It is no longer an in-and-out-of-the-door situation when it comes to a disease and its outcome.
This shift demands a more holistic approach, one that recognises the patient journey as more than just a series of isolated treatments. For patients, this means receiving support and contact past the initial stages of treatment. This includes having a consistent contact providing easy-to-understand information and a sense of familiarity. For HCPs, it translates to a deeper understanding of the patient’s long-term needs, allowing for more personalised and effective care.
Why go beyond your immediate ‘part’
What if someone focuses on drug development for example – they might value patient contact but only in the early stages, and not during final treatment – why should they invest in long-term relationships with patients where short-term outcomes matter?
Even in early drug development, understanding the patient’s long-term journey is invaluable. A long-term approach allows for the creation of therapies that go beyond the immediate impact so they are not only practically effective, but ensures they are aligned with the patient’s long-term disease trajectory, leading to better outcomes.
The answer also lies in the creation of invaluable trust and the generation of real-world evidence. As one of our fantastic patient contributors, Max’s, quote highlights the ‘loneliness’ that sets in after treatment completion can provide us with a crucial moment for intervention.
By maintaining contact and consideration, pharma companies can not only continually improve on their offerings, but also build that all-important rapport. This is not just about goodwill; it’s about strategic advantage.
But there’s more. Other benefits include:
- Real-World Evidence: A long-term relationship provides vital real-world feedback. It assesses efficacy, safety, unmet needs and supports personalised treatment – all providing evidence for current and future regulatory submissions.
- Enhanced Drug Development: Understanding the patient’s lived experience will help guide future development and improvement of existing therapies.
- Stronger Brand Reputation: Not only externally, but internally too. A strong brand reputation, rooted in genuine patient engagement, fosters trust within the healthcare community and attracts top talent.Evidence, such as research by Personnel Today, shows us that reputation is prioritised second only to career progression amongst all age groups.
- Regulatory Alignment: As highlighted by the FDA’s emphasis on patient involvement, long-terms relationships not only support future development but ensures compliance with the ever-changing regulatory landscape.
- Identifying and meeting unmet needs: Beneficial relationships support early identifications of problems that may otherwise be overlooked.
Working with leading pharmaceutical companies and building these relationships with patients ourselves, we have identified this is more than theory. Patients have voiced how they have left or even moved between clinical trials because of their relationship to a company.
We have also seen some fantastic changes due to insights into those identified needs.
Sharing Success
Many of these benefits are doubly important for healthcare professionals. Fostering long-term patient relationships builds deeper patient insights and opens professionals up to insights (and subsequent treatment paths) that could easily be overlooked.
The benefits for patients are immense. As they are becoming better informed about treatment paths and are informed sufficiently to request and make the most out of new and emerging therapies, fostered trust and a sense of partnership will go a long way in having them feel supported through their healthcare journey.
Where to start?
As an industry, we have made a great start already with the concept of patient-centricity. However, the term has become synonymous with any approach that touches on patient interactivity. In our blog, patient-centricity vs patient-integrated, we highlight the value of “walking the walk” to understand the patient.
Through collaboration (pharma, healthcare, AND patients) and by truly understanding the patient perspective, we can move beyond those immediate transactional interactions and drive industry-wide changes that truly put patients first, driving not only better patient outcomes but innovation and value for us all
