“Patient centricity” can be outlined as the process whereby a service or solution is designed around the patient. A patient-centric approach is a way of establishing partnerships among physicians, patients, and their families in the healthcare system to align decisions with patients’ desires, requirements, and preferences. It also involves providing detailed information and support patients’ needs to make these decisions and be active in their treatment. A patient-centered approach is evaluated as a gateway to effective healthcare.
Healthcare experts believe that patient-centric care can bring significant benefits to both the business and the medical sector.
On a business front, patients who report positive experiences have more trust in their providers and are less likely to switch physicians, allowing continuity of their health care and contributing to patient retention.
From the medical perspective, it shows that patients respond better to medications, have fewer symptoms, and often have reduced risk of relapse or hospital readmission.
Pharma pipelines: Focusing on the patient before profit
In its 2020 Pipeline Report, Pharma Exec notes that developing new drugs that will bring value and benefit to patients continues to be difficult and the prospect of failure is still very real. Taking a patient-centric approach to drug development offers advantages for pharma companies as it helps to target niche diseases and smaller patient populations. In addition, regulatory frameworks and guidance, such as from the FDA, mean patient-centricity will become central to the future pharma pipeline as companies focus on rare diseases and personalized medicines.
Self-managed healthcare: How IoMT is putting the patient in control
Patient expectations of how they manage their health and access medical services are changing. Today, there are over 97,000 healthcare apps in circulation. Estimates suggest that, in 2020, 40% of all IoT devices will be health-related. Their impact has been quick and profound. Recent research showed 53% of patients are more likely to choose a primary care provider who uses remote or telemonitoring devices. The challenge as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) adoption grows is twofold: first, trust must be built between the patient and the physician and pharma companies so they are happy to share their data; and second, IoMTs must be able to capture real-world data and blend it with other medical data such as EHRs to improve treatments and outcomes. To overcome these challenges, more life sciences organizations will adopt enterprise IoT platforms to properly manage patient data from apps, wearables and other devices.
How digital health leads to patient satisfaction?
As patients presume the role of a healthcare customer, focusing on the services they provide to their patients becomes very much essential for healthcare providers. Digital health simply involves enabling patients to connect to their physicians and personal data remotely by using a digital channel. When these digital health technologies are effectively implemented, it becomes a critical factor in ensuring patient satisfaction.
To meet the ultimate objective of patient centricity, organizations should incorporate innovative technology and resources to assist people and implement processes to deliver customer satisfaction goals. Healthcare systems must adequately utilize data and digital technologies to improve the patient experience.
