Why patient engagement really matters
Written by Richard Jones on Thursday 16th January 2020
Richard Jones, Managing Director of the Patient Engagement practice at OPEN Health, gives his insights from over 10 years specialist patient engagement consultancy experience delivering innovative and effective solutions as he looks at why patient engagement really matters for all and how failure to get it right can have stark implications
The penny has dropped, and everyone is now talking patient centricity. Understanding is growing about the vast plethora of benefits patient engagement can bring to the pharmaceutical industry in getting new drugs and health tech innovations to market. But there is a very important aspect of patient engagement that we must not lose sight of, the fundamental reason why patient engagement matters, and that is the matter of retention and adherence.
Clinical trials are all well and good, but what value can they be if individuals do not wish to participate, or cannot be retained on the studies or research programmes? What benefit are new drugs and health tech solutions if individuals will not adhere to the therapeutic regime or use the new advances?
It is inconceivable that an architect would design a dream home for a family without first gaining a deep knowledge of how that family really lives, with insights into their daily routine, their aspirations and their priorities. What is more important, an integral garage or that fourth bedroom? Off-street parking or a large garden? The same weighted decision-making is true for any field of design and innovation you might consider. It is simple-a deep understanding of the people behind the design challenge equals a higher chance of success in the final solution; so why would healthcare, which after all is about as personal as it gets, be any different?
Companies developing therapies for use in rare and orphan conditions are aware of the value of a single patient completing a clinical trial.
Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/2R0LrhA
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