What it means to be ‘patient-centric’ has changed immeasurably over the 15 years that I’ve worked in healthcare communications. When I first started, it was an overused buzzword within the pharmaceutical industry that rarely translated into tangible benefits for patients. Understanding the patient perspective and experience was often seen as a ‘nice-to-have’ activity led by the communications function, but it wasn’t embedded into overarching strategies, ways of working or processes.
Fast forward to today and we’ve made great progress. The patient experience is considered across the cross-functional team from clinical development to commercial. So, what next?
The term ‘patient-centric’ is still used but many have moved away from this term to emphasise a more holistic approach to care that considers the whole person, as well as the surrounding community. Language is important as it informs the actions that follow. Terms such as ‘person-centred care,’ as used by the NHS, and ‘people-centred care,’ as used by the World Health Organization, are preferred.
Our language may continue to evolve, yet our actions must ensure they are not empty words. So, are we doing enough to speak true to these terms? Quite simply, not yet. There are always more ways we can improve. For example, are we challenging the status quo in clinical trials and focusing our efforts on what matters most to the people they are for and about? What are the barriers to increasing diversity in trials and how can partnerships and collaboration help address these? Are we giving enough effort to communicating about trials in an open and accessible way, which reaches everyone who should have the opportunity to take part?
Small acts also have a big impact. How do we support a person-first mindset where we’re not afraid to challenge processes that contradict it? For example, contesting a mandate where people living with a condition are not allowed to fly to an abroad meeting the night before, but must fly the morning of the meeting (potentially to the detriment of their health) due to it being ‘unjustifiable’ from a compliance perspective.
We must continually challenge each other, our clients and the processes if we are to make the experience of health conditions better for more people.
This thought leadership piece appeared in the May edition of PME. Read the full issue here.
