BHBIA Behavioural Science Summit 2019
Written by Sheetal Padania & Sumira Riaz on Friday 21st June 2019
On 5th June, Sumira Riaz and Sheetal Padania attended the BHBIA’s Behavioural Science Summit at Hamilton House in London. Sheetal writes:
As two passionate users of behavioural economics in market research and patient engagement, we were excited to see the industry taking the time to explore the subject and hear how others are using the various theories and models.
The day was filled with discussions about current practice and thinking in behavioural science and how it is applied to healthcare market research. After a brief introduction and a thought-provoking exercise on behavioural economics (relating to Brexit) led by John Aitchison, we heard a series of TED-style talks and participated in mini workshops on a range of topics, including:
- What is the past, present and future of behavioural science in healthcare market research?
- How can we utilise our understanding of behavioural economics in concept testing research?
- How can social norms be used to change behaviour (and be a barrier to adopt the behaviours we want?)
- How can we build new habits?
- How can we work with the COM-B model to assess how to change behaviours in market research?
The meeting reminded us that changing habits is not as straight forward as assumed, particularly when habits are embedded from early childhood. We know that a single technique may not work for everyone; so it is important to consider the different behaviour change models that exist.
This encouraged us to reflect on our own approach to using behavioural economic models to address our clients’ needs; such as to identify the key triggers for use of a brand amongst HCPs, or to determine how to overcome the barriers preventing patients from using a health intervention. The workshop also inspired us to think about how we can broaden the models we currently use, both in terms of those that influence our market research methods and also those that shape our recommendations and actions. Whilst behaviour change is currently on everyone’s minds, knowing how to use these approaches is key when interpreting the findings in real-world environments, relating to our clients’ challenges. This is not always a straightforward task; however at OPEN Health, we have in-house expertise with a team of chartered health psychologists and market researchers, offering a multi-disciplinary solution.
If you would like to know more about OPEN Health’s multi-disciplinary team, please get in touch with Sheetal or Sumira.
Sheetal Padania, Research Director
+44 (0)7725 220 635
Sumira Riaz, Lead Health Psychologist
+44 (0)7468 353 512
