• HCPs trust information from peers more than reps
  • Patients can't always see the impact of their behaviour on their health
  • Doctors only engage with messages related to their own patients
  • Language barriers affect patient compliance
  • Different pharma markets have different needs
  • Patients trust information from other patients
  • HCPs don’t always engage with guidance
  • New guidelines don't translate into behavioural change
  • Sales strategies can be lost in execution
  • Patients only engage with relevant information
  • Complex protocols are a barrier to prescription

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All knowing

Filed under INSIGHT by on 29.09.11

Emma and I recently went to meet NHS London. As a strategic health authority, they have led the field in implementing the digital patient record system and are one of the few, if not the only, SHA to have achieved 100% coverage.

 

The technical infrastructure is complex, but the concept is simple. The system captures and holds a holistic health record of each patient that is accessible to the total care team regardless of their location.

 

Broader access to individual medical histories means more accurate, efficient assessment and management. It also maximises the speed at which HCPs can make care decisions.

 

NHS London’s major challenge now is getting HCPs to adopt the system in everyday practice. Their need for behaviour change was the reason for our meeting in the first place. eBee has developed a number of digital tools for behaviour change that have been used very effectively across large, geographically remote audiences. The NHS wanted to learn from the various projects we have delivered to pharma clients.

 

While working on a solution, I’m constantly struck by the importance of the patient record initiative and the medical blunders it can help to avoid.

 

A family friend has recently been diagnosed with late stage cancer. An incident in his treatment journey highlighted very starkly the importance of accurate and complete patient records. On the very day his chemotherapy was due to start, his oncologist became aware that the planned regime would be incompatible with his previous heart surgery. He only became aware because the patient mentioned it. The chemo was postponed. With more transparency of information, the appropriate chemo would have been chosen from the outset.

 

The patient record system is still a way off nationwide implementation and adoption, but the future of the NHS is doubtlessly digital. For patients, this evolving digital environment will enable faster, better decision making from their care team and ultimately better outcomes.  For eBee, understanding the evolving digital environment within the NHS is vital to our own plans for the future.

 

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