Accelerating patient engagement in the digital health era

Understanding the person behind the patient is a crucial part of medicine, one that healthcare providers can use to improve the efficacy of treatments. At the 2021 Frontiers Health conference in Milan, Mark Duman and Paul Tunnah discuss the importance of co-creating with patients. Over the past 50-years, demand for patient and public involvement in the development of new therapeutics has soared as patients grew more aware of and informed about their health. With their unique real-world insight into their healthcare experience, patients have a lot to offer when it comes to developing new treatments. While patients may be willing and waiting to be included in the development of therapeutics, for many companies, this valuable asset remains an untapped opportunity. Unfortunately, this has created a deep divide between what patients need from new treatments and the products companies develop and market to them. This divide was a key topic at the 2021 Frontiers Health conference in Milan, where MD Healthcare’s chief patient officer Mark Duman and chief content officer & managing director UK Healthware Group, Paul Tunnah, showcased why healthcare companies should be working to engage the person behind the patient and incorporate their insight and experience to develop mutually beneficial treatments. As Duman puts it, “trying to change healthcare’s focus from what is the matter with you, to what matters to you”. • Read the full article in pharmaphorum's Deep Dive digital magazine