In the first of a two part article, Jennifer Cassels will explore the value of patient research and some of the inherent issues. Next month, Jen will review some of the methodologies and techniques which can be utilised to maximise the value of such research and overcome potential problems.
Jennifer Squire 
15 Apr, 2008
Qualitative Corner: Let patients have their say: the value of patient market research
For many years market research has been and continues to remain a key element
within pharmaceutical companies’ product development and marketing plans.
Traditionally this research was conducted with those who were making prescribing
decisions e.g. GPs and Specialists. The net has since widened to include more ‘indirect’ influencers
for example pharmacists and payers. This change stemmed from the desire to
seek ‘the whole picture’ not just snapshots.
Whilst healthcare professionals may be specifiers they are not technically
the ‘end user’, the patient taking the drugs or using the device
is. More and more we are seeing a desire to identify how these ‘end users’ think
and feel about ‘their condition’ or understand their experiences
and needs. It further adds to the picture and may provide a different perspective
to that of healthcare professionals. Understanding the patient’s world
is becoming an integral part pharmaceutical marketing and hence a fundamental
component of market research.
In the following article we will explore in more detail the value patient research can have for pharmaceutical companies. On the flip side, we will also delve into some of the key issues patient research throws up. Next month we will identify how such issues may be addressed, through different methodological approaches and techniques and how genuine foresight can be achieved.
Consumer research has been commonplace for a number of years. Understanding
what it is about a particular brand of car that is appealing (or not), what
drives the decision to chose Heinz baked beans over Branson baked beans or
what ‘type’ of consumer a new MP3 player should be targeted towards
are all common questions in marketing research. By understanding their end
user, companies can design new products more effectively or develop more relevant
marketing strategies to maximise profit. The pharma industry is following suit
and beginning to realise the value in understanding their ‘end users’ in
greater depth.
There is often a tendency to make assumptions about what is important to patients, their needs or why they behave in the way they do, for example not complying when we believe a ‘condition’ should be ‘top of mind’ for patients. It is not surprising that assumptions are made when brand/marketing managers are immersed in the therapy area they work in and may have physician research which supports their assumptions to some degree. The best way to challenge these assumptions is by understanding the patient universe first hand; from the patients themselves.
Gaining insight into the patients’ world, what is important to them,
their experiences and needs surrounding a certain condition, the behaviours
they exhibit and belief systems in place (and how these beliefs have been formed)
provide a platform in which we can begin to identify:
- Where educational gaps exist
- Where support gaps are evident
- What is important to communicate to physicians and what is important to patients (and how this communication should be formed)
- Points of influence within the decision making process
- And what points of leverage can be exploited (how best to do this).
What can be very revealing is the disparity between what we think patients may feel or need and what they actually do feel or do need. Physicians may have an ‘idea’ of what their patient needs are and pharmaceutical companies may also think they know but such needs may be mis-understood. For example, we may not understand why patients are not complying with treatment because we assume that their condition is at the forefront of their mind, something they think about constantly when it may not be. Their condition may be just one small element of their life (and potentially not the most important one to them). Hence why they behave differently from how we assume they should behave. By grasping why patients behave in a certain way we can potentially use this knowledge to positively influence this behaviour. Understanding the patient forces us to look at the wider perspective and provides pharmaceutical companies the opportunity for real change.
Over time we have heard more and more about patient power. 
Nowhere is this
more so than in the United State where direct to consumer (DTC) advertising
of prescription drugs has allowed easier targeting of ‘end users’.
Although DTC advertising is not permitted in Europe, communication nevertheless
takes place through awareness campaigns, through patient materials, through
internet sites and so on.
The advent of the internet in combination with greater focus on disease prevention and health itself has led to a much more informed general public. The Drs Surgery is no longer the only place where information can be gathered and knowledge accumulated. A more informed public brings with it challenges and opportunities for Pharma companies. Interest in health and well being and a desire to seek information from different sources provides the pharmaceutical industry with more diverse avenues in which they can ‘educate’ the public or raise awareness of a particular issue.
What is key is making sure the public is well informed rather than mis-informed. Mis-information can lead to patients being ‘scared’ and this may have a damaging effect on uptake of a drug. Getting the right information (the right amount at the right level using the right language) to patients can be difficult. Marketers themselves may have a view on this, physicians may have their ideas of what is appropriate, however it is likely that only by appreciating what patients themselves see as the ‘right’ information can we truly meet their needs.
Whilst the merit of patient research to pharmaceutical companies is relatively clear, such research is not devoid of challenges. Two of the big issues we face in patient research are:
- How do we gain true representation of ‘real’ behaviour, experiences and needs
- How do we understand the ‘whole’ patient not just their condition.
In conducting market research we are taking people out of their ‘natural’ environment and placing them in a foreign, artificial environment. Attaining ‘real’ behaviours and feelings in this setting can be tricky. We have to remember current and past experiences shape beliefs, behaviours, feeling and needs. And each patient is unique on their own right, with their own set of unique goals and desires. ‘Getting to know’ a patient over the coarse of a one hour interview is by no way easy, however it is essential to do this in order to keep views and feelings in perspective
It is therefore important that we not only understand what is going on in that particular patient’s life, but also that we do not take this at face value. We need to build in ‘cross check’ to make sure what we hear is put into and kept in context.
Market research with patients helps to fill in another piece of the jigsaw
puzzle to form a more complete, rounded picture of a therapy area. Such knowledge
can influence the development of marketing strategies and how brands communicate.
The challenge comes in how to successfully find answers to our questions and
how to interpret the information we have. This is where the decision to use
certain methodologies, techniques and analysis becomes a crucial one. In next
months qual corner we will review potential methodologies, techniques and analysis
that can help maximise the value of patient research.
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