Pharmaceutical companies are used to the term patient-centric. However, as the needs of the patients change, the medical industry should start thinking about a move to embrace patient-centered science. This involves actively listening to patients and using relevant data to advance services offered.
What is PCOR?
It is essential to understand patients’ perspectives from themselves to facilitate growth in different sectors like drug development. This has been a must-have and ever-evolving development in the pharma and medical industries. For instance, companies like Carenity offer Patient-Centered Outcomes Research solutions by leveraging their own online patient community. PCOR answers several questions, including what to do to improve the most important outcome for me. What should I expect given my preferences, characteristics and conditions? What options are available? What are the consequences of those options?
How PCOR is Helping Improve the Pharma and Medical Industry
To make things run smoothly, PCOR employs state-of-the-art technology and innovation ideals in the science industry. Therefore, it is responsible for assessing the advantages and disadvantages of diagnostics, health delivery systems, therapeutic, preventive and or palliative interventions to show caparisons, help in decision-making and developing outcomes that matter to individuals. Also, PCOR is responsible for investigating outcomes while addressing issues relating to available resources, stakeholder perspectives and individual needs.
Thanks to advanced technology, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research solutions incorporate a diversity of participants and settings to deal with barriers and individual differences. This helps when it comes to the dissemination and implementation of certain medical services and products. It is inclusive of autonomy and needs, individual preferences and outcomes that people care about and notice like symptoms, survival, healthy eating, quality of life and function.
Listening to Patients
PCOR understands that the patient is the center of the treatment and each has unique insights, experiences and perspectives that can affect the treatment journey. This means that the traditional communication system where the healthcare provider is telling the patients what to do is abolished. For example, understanding PFIC patients can help in the development of measurement tools to help in dealing with impacts and symptoms like sleep disturbance.
Utilising Technology
The research takes advantage of technology to ensure patients can share their experience and give feedback on the drugs used or services received. Things like eDiary, well-designed and patient-friendly, can help patients report their pruritus experience, in the case of PFIC, at least twice a day throughout the trial period. This encourages the engagement rate between the healthcare provider and patients, improving the services offered.
In a Nutshell
The medical and pharma landscape is constantly evolving with complex ecosystems and needs. Stakeholders need to agree on a common goal: making the lives of patients easy by delivering high-quality services. PCOR ensures that communications are non-misleading, well-informed, easy to interpret and reliable.