Pump up the volume

Healthcare consumers are changing. Once relatively passive passengers, they are becoming proactive participants. Empowered by the availability of information, they are accustomed to gathering their own knowledge, and consequently expect greater involvement in decision-making.

The wider healthcare industry, however, has not always kept pace with this shift.

From our conversations across the industry, biopharma and life sciences teams see themselves as an integral part of the health universe, wherever they work across the product life cycle. They want to adapt and recognise the opportunity ahead. However, they require help to bring their ambition to reality.

We have identified six practical actions to help companies get started: define what ‘patient-centricity’ means for you; collaborate with partners; incorporate the voice of patients; foster a growth mindset; improve patient communication; and use data in a smarter way.

First, defining ‘patient-centricity’: To go beyond the buzzword, it is important for every organisation to identify what patient-centricity means to them and what they will do every day to bring it to life.

A good exercise is to begin with the company vision and ambition, and whether this reflects the needs of patients. The statement can be anything, as long as everyone understands the purpose; it aims to drive tangible change; and it is reviewed periodically to maintain continued effectiveness and relevance.

When this statement is defined, the next step is to be clear on how it will be embedded in every part of the organisation. It will be most impactful if it can be used to anchor every company decision, in any context.

Secondly, organisations can also enhance their patient-centricity through greater collaboration with their partners. This includes patients themselves of course, but also care partners, advocacy groups and other key stakeholders such as professional bodies, regulators and technology companies.

The reasons for collaborating with a wide spectrum of groups range from promoting social equity to the practical ambition of ensuring pharmaceutical products are effective for as many people as possible.

In the past, segments such as women, people with disabilities, those from the LGBTQ+ community, and people of Black, Asian and minority ethnic heritage, have been a lesser focus in clinical trial design, for example. The result has been suboptimal health outcomes for groups that, when combined, often represent the majority of the population.

Thirdly, patient-centricity can evolve from buzzword to reality by organisations consistently and actively listening to patients and their advocates – and learning from what they hear.

This includes using patients’ insights to ignite a common purpose among cross-functional teams; serving as a reference point for individuals’ day-to-day work; to ensuring barriers to participation, particularly in clinical trials, are tackled at the earliest stage.

In our experience, the most powerful voices can be internal experts within the organisation, particularly those who are patients themselves or who care for loved ones. This essential group can serve as a patient-focused think tank.

This can enhance engagement, challenge conventional thinking and drive teams to consider more patient-centric approaches. In turn, demonstrating enhanced patient-centricity has the potential to inspire and motivate broader team members, improving engagement and a feeling of purpose.

Pivotally, organisations can use patient voices to help them drive innovative product development.

Regulators are increasingly recognising the value of patient engagement. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has updated its guidance requiring patients’ involvement in clinical trial design, while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is publishing guidance to encourage greater integration of the patient voice.

Industry can respond by undertaking a similar journey, but, as always, the key will be embedding the change in everything it does.

Having the right measures and incentives, such as patient-centred governance reviews of protocols, can help to drive changes in behaviour. Skills development and training can help individuals and teams enhance their ‘patient-first’ thinking.

Organisations can also consider whether they consistently communicate with patients in a way those patients can understand.

Patients have access to more online medical information than ever before and are increasingly seeking to understand their health in more granular detail. In response, leading organisations are increasingly creating and sharing educational materials, disease information and training in a way that considers cultural, language and communication needs of diverse patient populations.