Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has evolved its Standing in the Gaap programme by launching one of the largest multiple myeloma (MM) surveys ever conducted in the US.
Designed to help identify the factors behind gaps in care through perspectives that are not consistently measured across the MM care continuum, the survey will involve over 1,000 people living with MM, their caregivers and healthcare providers.
With the aim of ensuring the approach reflects real-word experience and community priorities, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), HealthTree Foundation (HTF), Blood Cancer United (BCU) and Black Health Matters (BHM) were all involved in the survey’s development.
Focusing on increasing the understanding of multiple myeloma care pathways and supporting community engagement over the past decade, Standing in the Gaap was created by BMS in 2016.
Since then, more than 50 educational programmes have reached over 5,000 attendees and a digital community of nearly 60,000 people has been created.
Joseph Mikhael, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, said: “Efforts like this, developed alongside advocacy organisations and informed directly by people impacted, create an opportunity to translate lived experience into meaningful action.
“By listening at scale, we can better identify where support is falling short and where focused engagement can make a real difference for communities affected by multiple myeloma.”
Now, Standing in the Gaap aims to respond to the needs of a broader range of populations across the MM ecosystem by reinforcing culturally responsive, community-informed approaches to care.
Through the survey, BMS hopes to centre voices from across the MM community to show daily real-world challenges, reflect how care is experienced and highlight when additional support is needed most.
The survey results will be shared with key stakeholders to inform future programming partnerships and engagement efforts.
Andrew Whitehead, Vice President and Head of Population Health at Bristol Myers Squibb, said: “For people living with multiple myeloma, where you live, your access to information and who you trust can shape your experience as much as treatment itself. Standing in the Gaap was created to confront those realities and has helped drive meaningful progress over the past decade.”