Pharma should embrace its role as a trusted information source

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Actionable Insights:  

• Patients are increasingly doing their own health research: To help combat disinformation and maintain public trust in the healthcare sector, pharma companies can develop patient-centric services that can provide the right information

• The service should be customized to patient needs: Any stigma surrounding certain diseases should be addressed as it can fuel distrust in healthcare. Pharmacists can help provide information that can improve access to medicines

• Regulatory compliance needs to be followed: There are countries that disallow pharma companies in communicating directly to patients, in which advocacy groups can become helpful information conduits

• Measuring the impact of patient services is necessary: Patient experience should be measured as it is the ultimate surrogate measure to trust

While patients mainly receive key health information from their primary doctors, patients are increasingly being referred to outside information about their disease and available treatments. This is due to doctors needing to see more patients and healthcare staff resources being stretched. As ViiV Healthcare’s Nneka Nwokolo puts it: “The care that primary doctors used to be able to provide is no longer as easy as it used to be.”

There is an opportunity for pharma companies to fill in information gaps through patient-centric pharma services. According to a survey by Salesforce, among consumers who trust pharma, 66% want to receive more support from pharma companies. Having such a service can help maintain trust in healthcare and potentially curb distrust. The service can also address the stigma surrounding certain diseases as this also impacts trust on healthcare services.

If pharma companies develop information for patients, it should be easy to find and clear in conveying information without jargon. The information needs to cater to all levels of health literacy and can direct patients to the right place for further detail. If the information is for clinicians, it should also be easy to digest as they tend to deprioritize reading which can interfere with their daily workload.

Pharmacists can also help fill information gaps. Pharmacists can provide information in the event co-pays or prior authorizations delay access to medicine. In the UK, hospital-based pharmacists have a direct role in patient care with certain prescribing authorities. There should be a partnership between pharmacies and patient services to get medicines to patients as quickly as possible.

There are countries that have strict protocols in terms of pharma companies communicating directly to patients. This can be overcome via third-party groups such as patient advocacy institutions. While there are high standards on how healthcare communication is written, this should not interfere in ensuring the information is clear and easy to understand. It helps if a company’s patient affairs department works directly with its medical affairs department.

Technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), can help convey information to patients. As an example, AI could be used to advise patients on the next best action, even on what can be done retrospectively, to gain access to medicines quicker. But human interactions remain pivotal in ensuring patients find the right access to patient services.

The lack of trust among people of color needs to be addressed. Distrust is multifactorial, with key reasons including language barriers or a previous negative experience with healthcare authorities. In the US, not having appropriate healthcare insurance makes it less likely for an individual to engage with healthcare providers. Outreach resources need to be invested in these communities, such as the availability of social workers, specifically ones that are their peers, who can help patients navigate the health system.

To measure the efficacy of these patient-centric approaches, surveys or focus groups should be established. There should be trackers on how engaged patients are in online resources. If patients reach out directly to company staff, how quickly issues are resolved can also be another metric of success.

Industry Experts Who Contributed:  

All contributors are senior leaders within the pharmaceutical industry

• Scott Bradley, VP, Patient and Specialty Services Strategy and Deliver, Novartis
• Laurie Hughes, VP, Patient Services, Biogen
• Nneka Nwokolo, Global Lead of Patient Affairs, ViiV Healthcare
• Dora Elena Arias, Founder and Executive Director, Curémonos
• Moderator: Jennifer Turcotte, Senior Director, Pharma Strategy, Salesforce

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Related Content: PED: Turning the patient voice into a datasetJanssen Open Their Doors to PatientsThe patient, AI and the search for answersPrimary Event: Pharma & Patient USA 2023Précis: Patients are increasingly having to research their own health needs. Pharmaceutical companies can help fill in information gaps for patients to protect trust in the healthcare sectorPremium`: Freemium`: Channels: Patients and MedicalOriginal Article