(Part 3) Reaching Patients Along The Specialty Medication Journey: Persistent Patients
***ConnectiveRx recently conducted a qualitative study where we interviewed 23 specialty patients about their medication journey. About half were still actively taking a specialty medication, and half were not.
The purpose of this research was to help ConnectiveRx better understand the specialty patient experience, including the emotional journey from first symptoms to diagnosis and treatment, as well as their personal reactions to their new reality and how they chose to manage their care. This intricate level of understanding helps ConnectiveRx provide more personalized services for pharmaceutical brands to support patient adherence.
Four common personality types emerged from this research. What follows is the third of a four-part series highlighting each of these traits. Brands can utilize these profiles to better understand the differences in patient personalities in order to provide the best communication methods, education and resources that can successfully speak to each personality, with the ultimate goal of helping the patient get on and stay on therapy in their own unique ways.***
Advocates for their own Health
Often the patient with the most debilitating and life-threatening conditions actively look for information and clinical updates. Labeled as persistent patients, these are the people who want to stay ahead of their prognosis and serve as their own advocate along every step of their journey.
The persistent patient often seeks out clinical data and studies from a variety of scientific sources and are most interested in new data or studies. They are also likely to fully understand their insurance coverage and patient savings options and are comfortable asking questions in order to learn this information. In fact, they may ask their provider plenty of questions, then take these recommendations and do their own research before making a decision. One lupus patient had this advice to share: “Do your own research. Be your own advocate. Don’t be afraid to bring someone with you to the doctor to ask questions and challenge things.”
Knowledge Fuels Adherence
Since a persistent patient often thrives on knowledge around their condition, they identified the beginning of their journey as one of the most difficult times. Shortly after diagnosis, many felt it was difficult to find reliable and trustworthy information so they could better understand the impact their condition would have on their lives and what to expect moving forward.
To many persistent patients, looking for information from a neutral scientific resource was the most helpful. Experts in the field and other patients dealing with the same condition would help provide tips for managing their conditions, but again, this information was often difficult to find.
Simplifying Access to Information
When reliable information is placed in the hands of the persistent patient, that person can feel in control of their condition and their journey. Brands can help patients feel comfortable with their journey by providing:
- Easily accessible clinical data and insights updated in real time from both branded and neutral resources
- The ability to chat with providers outside of appointments, as well as case managers and other patients
- Patient support programs, including guided injectable and other dosing how-to guides
mobileCare Manager, one of the newest additions to the ConnectiveRx family of specialty solutions, is a mobile patient experience platform that was built specifically for specialty patients that helps integrate their complex therapy journey into their daily lifestyle…through their smartphone via multiple modalities, including SMS, mobile web, and mobile app. This is a serious tool built for serious conditions. Learn how brands can simplify the specialty patient journey here, and reach out to Inquiries@ConnectiveRx.com for more information.
Check out the other parts of the series: