Over the past few years, the proliferation of digital technology has not only opened the doors to new avenues of care but also resulted in patients becoming more aware of disease conditions and drugs. The Indian healthcare industry is now experiencing the age of empowered patients who are now more active, instead of just being passive recipients. The patients are more involved in the entire treatment process and need answers to their queries. In fact, an Accenture study involving 4000 patients in Europe and the US has revealed that the majority of the patients — 84 per cent — believe that healthcare providers must work together with pharmaceutical companies to create a seamless experience for them.

Now, the responsibility for a better patient experience not only rests on the doctors but also on pharmaceutical companies since they must collaborate in a better way to manage patient conditions and in turn, exceed the expectations of patients.

Collaboration between Doctors and Pharmaceutical Companies can Open New Approaches to Care

Healthcare professionals or doctors are now looking to collaborate more with pharmaceutical companies with the objective of raising the standard of patient care and enhancing treatment outcomes.Doctors are calling for pharma industry assistance in several areas including patient information services patient adherence and better involvement with patients.

Education and Information

As innovators and researchers, pharmaceutical companies are regarded as an incredible source of information, research and regularly creating new content. With the advancement of technology, the scope has further increased.

Doctors are eagerly looking at pharma companies to take the role of health educators. This makes information easily accessible and available to everyone – both patients and professionals. Digital communication is further enabling information to be shared in a timely and relevant manner. It is also allowing the delivery of info in such a way that meets the requirements of every individual and is accessible across multiple channels and on different devices.With better patient centricity, the healthcare industry has the chance to ease the burden on stressed healthcare systems, offer greater value to society and earn a higher level of confidence and trust.

Improve Patient Adherence

Treatment-compliant patients are important to ease the burden on healthcare systems and also, better health outcomes. However, despite numerous efforts, doctors are aware that many people do not follow their treatment regimen strictly – and so they are now looking at pharmaceutical companies for help.

With health tracking apps, doctors are thinking that it may be possible to push patients towards following the prescription or lifestyle advice, especially for low-adherence conditions such as hypertension.Increasing motivation by demonstrating an effect like changing blood pressure can turn adherence into something that patients want to do.This can engage patients towards improved health outcomes.

Enhanced Trust and Involvement with Patients

While doctors believe that patient empowerment is good, at times it can pose challenges. Unlike the previous generations who used to accept advice without any say, today's patients can raise queries and even point fingers at the treatment being provided - though they may be making their decisions on poor quality or incorrect information. 

To help patients make informed decisions, doctors are relying on pharmaceutical companies to make sure that there is easy access to credible and authentic sources of information. This has become important as developments in medical science enable more customised therapy and individualised healthcare because there are more choices available.

Pharma can provide clear, authoritative and useful materials that doctors can share with the patients.

In a Nutshell

Modern-day patients are gradually becoming active participants in the healthcare journey. Pharma companies need to step away from the traditional product-centric approach and build a two-way conversation with doctors or physicians to provide better support and build deeper relationships with patients, positively impacting medication adherence, patient safety and health outcomes. 

(Edited by Shweta Yadav)