Patient Engagement

Non-adherence, in the US alone, is a $100-billion-a-year problem. Healthcare players are touting patient education and engagement as the keys to better adherence rates. Ben Comer reports.

Elderly patients are underrepresented in clinical trials, but there are few obstacles to including this patient group in trials that cannot be overcome, writes Sydney Rubin.

Advocacy organizations and individual patients are getting more involved in every facet of the healthcare system, from drug R&D, to federal and state policy all fueled by the hour-to-hour passion of living with a disease.

A patient-centric approach to drug development delivers the benefits that actually create value, writes Charlotte Vansgaard and Mikkel Brok-Kristensen.

New drug delivery mechanisms and devices are an opportunity to build relationship with the ultimate customer: the patient.

In the world of patient education, processes, policies, and oversight differ vastly. There is no overarching governance structure. There isn't an accreditation process for educational interventions or patient advocacy organizations that develop the education.

Patients in search of face time with a healthcare provider are stopping into their local drugstores, where consultations are free and the wait time is shorter.

Brad Sitler looks at the challenge for pharma of engaging patients and helping physicians provide them with the right information at the right time.

Specialized knowledge about disease and treatment is no longer the exclusive province of practicing physicians. Patient voices are increasing in volume, along with their roles in treatment decisions.

Sarah Krug asks if it is time for pharma companies to appoint a Chief Patient Officer, a new position designed to build an accord around patient trust.

How can pharma embrace and interact with increasingly informed and demanding patients to bring positive outcomes for all?

Keeping skittish patients on their medicines ought to be a strategic priority for Big Pharma - but is it? Pharm Exec convenes an expert round table to examine how best to make progress and agree on some practical steps for incorporation in the campaign agenda.

The rise of advocacy groups has helped patients find their voice, but the power to change health profiles remains an elusive goal.

A Q&A with Andrew Webber, President and CEO of the National Business Coalition on Health

To decide on a course of treatment, patients need to be told the truth straight up

The simpler the explanation of a disorder and its treatment, the better able a patient is to take proper care of himself

Putting science front-and-center in the design of patient adherence programs can lead to a better understanding of the commitment required to get patients to take their medicine

When neither attitudes nor personality drive behavior, Pharma must look to social norms to understand consumer adherence issues