A new study from Accenture has found that better collaboration between pharma and patient organisations would improve patient care, and that patients want both to work together to provide a more seamless patient experience.
The survey, which consisted of 4,000 patients in the US and Europe, investigated the role that patient organisations play in providing support, information and other services to patients and whether better collaboration with pharma companies could improve the patient experience and care.
It focused on three different diseases and medical conditions, such as migraine, rheumatoid arthritis and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, selected due to their significant, yet different, impact on patients’ daily lives.
The survey revealed that patients, regardless of their country or disease state, highly value services from patient organisations and prefer them over those from pharmaceutical companies. This holds true not only for emotional support and access to community support groups, services that patient organisations often provide, but also for information on therapies and clinical trials, which has more traditionally been provided by pharma companies.
The survey also found that less than half (47%) of the patients said that pharma companies understand their emotional, financial and other needs related to their condition, and that patients even rate pharma companies lower on this than doctors, physicians, payers, pharmacies and patient organisations.
The results of the survey indicate “an opportunity for pharma companies to take a stance on how they want to maximise their contribution to patient experiences and outcomes beyond the immediate impact of the drug,” said Eva Wiedenhöft, a managing director in Accenture’s Life Sciences practice.
“For instance, it could help them identify how much of the patient experience they wish to own, what service areas they want to excel in and to what extent, as well as how they plan to collaborate with other players in the healthcare ecosystem to drive patient experiences and outcomes more holistically.”
