MedicoMindsPro

While traditionally, communication by the pharma and medical devices industry was focused on doctors, we have seen recent discussions about involving patients and caregivers as well. It only seems logical, for they are the ‘end-consumers’ of the products. However, effectively communicating with them is easier said than done. It is not just about what to communicate. That is relatively easy. It is about when, where, and whom to communicate for it to be effective in disease management. For successful and effective communication that can achieve the desired outcomes, it is important to understand the patient journey.

While there are numerous definitions and explanations of patient journey, I would simply describe it as various touchpoints from the time a patient develops symptoms to treatment that either leads to a cure, death, or living with the disease. The patient journey of each disease is different. I will mention a few examples below. The patient himself/herself is part of the journey by default.

A common cold: The touchpoints in this journey are the patient’s family, the general practitioner, in some cases an ENT specialist, a chest physician, or a pediatrician, workplace colleagues, and finally, the chemist.

Blood pressure: This journey can go in different directions. The patient might live the rest of his/her life with blood pressure well under control with medication. Or there might be a cardiac disease in the future for which there might be a procedure performed. Or even renal disease or stroke. So one can imagine the list of likely touchpoints. Right from family and general practitioners to emergency physicians, cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, nephrologists, neurologists, physiotherapists, ambulance staff, cath lab technicians, nurses, dieticians, diagnostic laboratories, pharmacies, patient support groups, physical trainers, workplace colleagues, and more that I might have missed here. Basically, everyone that a patient is likely to come in contact with either due to complications of hypertension or in his/her pursuit to change the lifestyle to keep the disease under control. Anyone with any components of a metabolic syndrome is likely to have the same or similar touchpoints.

Cancer: This is often one of the most painful patient journeys and involves many touchpoints, which might also keep changing depending on the progress of the disease. Family, general practitioners, oncosurgeons, oncologists, nurses, technicians, ICU staff, emergency staff, ambulance staff, diagnostic center staff, nutritionists, psychologists/counselors, physiotherapists, pharmacies, patient support groups, colleagues, hospice services, pain specialists, and other specialists depending on the location of cancer. Very often, the spouse and children also require a counselor and psychologist.

Very often, while mapping a patient journey, we often inadvertently overlook the non-medical staff other than family, friends, and colleagues. Did you notice I have missed out on the administrative staff of the hospital in the above examples? They might seem unimportant stakeholders in the chain, but they are the first point of contact for patients reaching the hospital. At the very least, they need to be sensitized about communicating empathetically with patients coming for various problems. To be able to do this, they need to have some basic understanding of what the patient with a particular disease might be going through.

So why is it important to understand the patient journey? It is important because understanding the journey allows pharma and medical devices to plan communication strategies and services that can make life easier for patients and caregivers, increase compliance, prevent or minimize complications, and reduce mortality. Moreover, this help from the industry can reduce a lot of burden on the HCPs. These are indirect ways to ensure brand loyalty from HCPs and patients alike.

The communication cannot be similar throughout the journey as then the very purpose of understanding the patient journey is lost. Nor can it always be directed only to the patient. A simple example is a reminder for follow-up that goes not only to the patient but also to a family member (provided consent is obtained). This might increase compliance. Another example is a patient who might not be very anxious when diagnosed with hypertension, and the usual advice about salt restriction, physical activity, regular follow-up, and compliance with medication might be adequate. But the same patient, when in the hospital with a complication, might be very anxious about the future. Once the patient is discharged, the standard advice given at the time of diagnosis might be inadequate. The patient perhaps needs to hear that he/she can still lead a normal life, or that this episode does not necessarily mean his heart/kidney is now weak or that he/she will be in and out of the hospital frequently, or what to do when similar symptoms develop next time or how to prevent a recurrence. Whom to reach out to, how regularly to follow-up, can he/she exercise, other do’s and dont’s etc. One would assume the patient will ask these questions to the doctor at the time of discharge and get the answers. It is true, but maybe the patient wants to have a longer conversation to relieve his/her anxiety, and the doctor cannot afford to spend so much time with every patient. Moreover, the patient might forget to ask certain questions and regret it later. A booklet answering these questions in detail or a helpdesk/counselor he/she can contact can alleviate the anxiety and fasten recovery.

As the above example shows, if understood well and used smartly, the patient journey is a great marketing tool in itself. The journey in itself can provide clues to planning marketing strategies.