The importance of patient centricity for pharmaceutical companies
Patient Centricity has long been an element that healthcare and pharmaceutical companies can no longer afford to ignore. Digital transformation has accelerated changes in the relationship between patients and healthcare companies.
As has already happened in several other sectors, patients, like consumers in general, have become more empowered and informed, and it would be a mistake to still consider them as passive users of therapies prescribed by doctors. Today, more than ever, there is a shift in objectives and strategies in the healthcare market. The pharmaceutical world is therefore also a protagonist in this evolution, which affects the way in which companies relate to and communicate with patients. In an increasingly crowded and competitive scenario, pharmaceutical companies can no longer limit their communication to their interlocutors alone, but must dialogue more and better with healthcare users through a multi-channel approach.
Digital transformation also means empowering patients
An effective patient-centric strategy must address the growing empowerment of patients. According to a recent EU survey, one in two EU citizens (55%) said they had searched for health-related information online, and 20% had made an appointment with a healthcare professional online. Many now come to their doctor’s appointment having already done their research, and continue to do so after diagnosis.
Therefore, multi-channel interaction with patients requires careful analysis of the customer journey. The answers to their expectations must be easy to find, perceived as reliable and therefore useful, thanks to quality content that adds value to the “informed” patient who wants to feel like an active protagonist of his or her own treatment path.
The future of patient engagement
The pharmaceutical industry will gain significant value across the value chain by focusing on patient-centric initiatives. A valuable patient experience helps patients better manage their diagnosed conditions and adhere to treatments to improve their health.
Pharmaceutical companies are beginning to recognise the new power of patients and are striving to put patient engagement at the heart of their business models. Patients, like consumers in general, are not all the same, so patient engagement is also a complex challenge for companies and marketers.