Empowered Patients Require Authentic Engagement Strategies

 

By Laurie Bartolomeo, EVP, Creative Director, Dudnyk

 

Patients today are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about their personal health and about the healthcare options available to them – and that’s a good thing. Informed, empowered patients are often the most compliant with their medications and usually have more favorable treatment experiences. Why? Because they are more demanding and critical than ever when it comes to their expectations of healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies.

So, what is the best way to engage with them? In a word, authentically. If our experience in the orphan space over the years has taught us anything, it is that all pharma-patient interactions should be based on honesty, transparency, and genuine caring. The best approach to patient communication is with a true desire to help ease their disease burden, whether that means providing lifestyle support, making insurance approvals as painless as possible, or even connecting them with other patients in similar situations. When the offerings are meaningful, patients will engage. And when patients engage, brands thrive.  Ensure your engagement strategies are aimed at delivering on real patient needs. Listen to them – and not just with your marketing hat, but with your human heart.