5 Things Patient Advocates Want Pharma and the Healthcare Industry to Know

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many obstacles, yet the healthcare industry continues to march forward to meet the needs of patients. With physical distancing, new office protocols and the widespread use of telehealth, the patient experience is changing–particularly for people living with chronic conditions, who may require more regular access to care.

To truly understand the impact of the changing patient experience on attitudes and behaviors, and the industry as a whole, Health Union recently passed the mic directly to the source. Through a virtual content series entitled The COVID-19 Effect: How Pharma Can Adapt to the Evolving Patient Experience, patient advocates living with multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, migraine and lung cancer shared their personal accounts of life with a chronic condition during the pandemic and beyond. Presented alongside Health Union’s trusted survey data from tens of thousands of respondents, these live conversations shed light on what’s top of mind for patients through unforeseen challenges.

While much of each session focused on treatment journey and COVID-19, advocates were also given the opportunity to share advice for pharma and the healthcare industry–access any or all of the session recordings to hear the full conversations, or read on for five excerpts highlighting what patient advocates want you to know: 

1. Recognizing and treating the whole person can ultimately impact compliance. 
   PlaquePsoriasis.com advocate Reena Ruparelia feels strongly about holistic health, and would like to see pharma encourage a blend of medication and lifestyle changes, which could help to reinforce that the industry is focusing on caring for the whole person.For Reena, holistic health also has an impact on treatment compliance; when incorporating lifestyle changes, such as diet and mindfulness, she cares for herself more and is less likely to skip medication. Living with psoriasis, or any chronic condition, is often a difficult journey, and finding the right treatment can be really helpful–but addressing more than just prescription medication can go a long way.

For the full article, visit health-union.com.