At Insight Dojo we routinely do work for pharmaceutical and biotech companies to support their commercial activities. As part of this, we conduct deep ethnographic qualitative work and robust quantitative studies. Beyond the commercial domain, a particularly rewarding part of our work has been the opportunity to disseminate our understanding of patients’ lives amongst the medical community and create greater empathy.
In this blog, we'll share five methods for bridging the gap between patient experiences and the medical community.
1. Sharing patient insights in medical journals
In 2017, after a rigorous study involving 3,000 patients and 1,100 physicians in 5 EU countries, we discovered a significant disconnect between physicians and patients in managing Opioid Induced Constipation. One of our clients in the medical team pointed out that the study was far more robust than anything he had observed in medical literature, and that we had an obligation to share these insights with the broader medical community through participation in conferences and publications. That was our first publication - "The patient burden of opioid induced constipation: New insights from a large, multinational survey in five European countries" in the United European Gastroenterology Journal. Subsequently, we've published five more papers, collaborating with medical teams and Key Opinion Leaders across a variety of conditions.
2. Bringing the patient experience to life for doctors
Our patient research invariably yields rich insights, and we believe there is significant value in sharing learnings with those at the forefront of treating conditions.
An example of this is a patient experience workshop that we designed for physicians working in women’s health. Here we created an interactive experience for doctors with various workstations designed to reflect the insights from our primary research and aid a first-hand understanding of the patient experience. Doctors were invited into the houses of the women, heard audio clips, and read excerpts from their diaries. For many years, in two European countries, the workshop has been rolled out every year.
3. Creating tools for doctor-patient consultations
We develop tools, based on quantitative patient survey data, that aid healthcare professionals in understanding the patient experience and making informed treatment recommendations. For instance, our machine learning-based tool for vulva vaginal atrophy (VVA) identifies patient characteristics linked to a more impactful experience, allowing doctors to provide better support.
In this example, we analysed 2000 responses from a survey amongst VVA sufferers. We ran analysis with three supervised machine learning algorithms. The output of the analysis was a model that identified four main predictors of the quality of patient experience. By collecting information on these ‘predictors’, and feeding these into the model, doctors can form a better judgement about the impact of the condition for any given patient.
The process of developing the tool has been published in Gynaecological Endocrinology and key opinion leaders have described the tool as "revolutionary" and “what is needed”.
4. Using patient insights to engage with payors
We have successfully leveraged patient insights to engage with payors in the healthcare sector. For instance, in the IBD space, ethnography with patients in Italy, Germany and France allowed us to identify 7 distinct patient segments who could benefit from the client’s innovative oral treatment. These groups had not been immediately obvious to the client and were surfaced only through a thorough examination of the patients and how they lived their lives. We presented a comprehensive profile of these segments to the payor community, fostering a deeper appreciation for the experiences of individuals grappling with this condition.
5. Applying interesting ideas from the social sciences to enhance patient support
We have attempted to make patient support programs more effective by drawing inspiration from social sciences. An illustrative example is advocating the use of the ‘Post Traumatic Growth’ framework to support chronic pain patients.
'Post Traumatic Growth,' a concept coined by Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun in 2004, relates to the phenomenon of experiencing positive transformation following profoundly challenging life crises. After conducting comprehensive ethnographic studies with chronic pain patients across Europe and reviewing academic literature, we used this framework to identify five key themes aimed at nurturing growth in the aftermath of a diagnosis and the ongoing challenges of living with the condition. By implementing these guiding principles within a support program, the aim was not only to provide day-to-day assistance to patients in managing their conditions but also to facilitate a journey of personal growth amid the trials they face.
These examples showcase a few ways it is possible to apply patient insights to extend their impact beyond traditional marketing and communications. If you'd like to learn more, please contact us!