With the advent of Pharma 4.0, the industry got the notion that it needed to transform its traditional methods of mapping patient journeys to completely digital ones. And patient journey mapping example has proved to be a significant strategy for delivering better patient outcomes since it reveals vital information like the barriers to care delivery, patient pain points, the efficiency of patient-physician engagement, and the rationale behind varied care-related decisions. It assists in a perpetual and longitudinal visualization of this information in both qualitative and quantitative aspects, such as the behavior of caregivers, patients, and HCPs.
Even in times of crafting a brand strategy, patient journey mapping(PJM) is a crucial exercise that helps identify unmet needs in care delivery. Identifying unmet needs helps pharma enterprises spot growth opportunities and notify product positioning with payers, providers, and patients. The methodology helps uncover hurdles in current therapy, which could vary from access to adherence. Pharma enterprises can then design advanced treatments to bypass these challenges. Companies can also utilize PJM to quantify the impact of a disease and its therapy on both caregivers and patients. This helps in the identification of areas where companies can foster appropriate interventions to boost patient outcomes.
What the Future Holds: Digital Patient Journey
As technology took a steep rise with Pharma 4.0 and emerging technologies became widely accepted, the digital patient journey is poised to advance further in the coming years. Integrated care delivery throughout the patient journey is expected to be the new focal point in healthcare. The industry will witness more automated and connected services as technology leverages better communication and creates efficiencies across the continuum of care.
Some forecasts on how technology will transform healthcare in the next few years include-
- Adoption of AI- From chronic/rare diseases to radiology and risk assessment, there happens to be endless opportunities for AI to intervene. However, to put it into effect, it is vital that the designed services are patient-centric and data privacy concerns are resolved. This article will discuss it in more detail in the later section.
- Portable and convenient care- As technology advances in the medical device sector, medical equipment and sensors will become more efficient and portable. So, lab-based procedures will transform into home-based care.
- Interoperable health data- The longing goal for cross-platform, standardized, and regulated health information exchanges will become a reality in the next generation of EHR systems. Technology like blockchain will assist in forging trust and increasing transparency.
- Telemedicine will evolve- it’s inevitable as it offers healthcare organizations to deliver care at a much cheaper rate while enhancing convenience and access. With the advent of 5G cellular communication, it will spur the growth of the same in no time.
- Adoption of wearable technology- wearables are evolving to be more than just fitness trackers to actual medical-grade devices that can track and stream real-time data to the physician and automatically integrate with digital health records.
- Meticulous Personalization- Novel emerging concepts in medicine such as nanobots will be incorporated to constantly monitor patient’s bodies for maladies, deliver drugs, and perpetually transmit this information to the cloud for close monitoring by medical staff.
- Reality-virtuality spectrum- The inclusion of AR and VR as tools still needs to make their mark for medical intervention and is expected to grow in the future. Currently, some research is being carried out throughout the globe to study their application in treatment for phobias, as a remedy for post-traumatic stress disorder, pain management therapies, ameliorating other anxiety-related conditions, etc.
The Implications for Pharma: Mapping the Digital Patient Journey
With the rapid adoption of digital technology and the resulting rise of connected and knowledgeable patients, it has become crucial that healthcare stakeholders position the preferences and concerns of the patients at the center of every healthcare decision.
Currently, in the pharma industry, patients are being recognized as central stakeholders in the healthcare dialogues. Academia, physicians, payers, and regulatory organizations have started bolstering their decision-making with patient input. The significance of patient-reported results has also surged exponentially as payers now vehemently rely on these for drug-repayment-related decisions. On the other hand, payers are successful in engaging patients in health-technology assessments.
A patient-centered paradigm shift is being experienced at the moment in pharma. Many enterprises are adopting the patient-centric culture and moving along with digital technology-driven transitions like ‘beyond-the-pill’ services.
But still, to achieve true patient-centricity, pharma must first study and comprehend the patient’s experience, behavior, and unmet needs throughout the care continuum. This calls for pharma enterprises to re-evaluate their understanding of the patient journey and its diverse touchpoints.
Let’s look at how the digital patient journey is offering support along the lines of unmet needs-
- Behavioral needs: Surroundings, emotions, and how treatment choices are carried out, all have an impact on a patient’s behavior. Adherence, for instance, might be an issue if the patient assumes the suggested treatment would be ineffective. As a result, a patient’s behavior is crucial to the treatment’s effectiveness.
- Clinical requirements: Sometimes, there might be gaps in the delivery and practice of healthcare. One of the reasons for inaccurate diagnostics of rare illness patients, for instance, is thought to be a lack of rare disease information among physicians, resulting in psychological and physical stress for patients.
- Emotional needs: Patients need to feel acknowledged and understood. One, for instance, is of an HCP evidencing empathy, which can enhance a patient’s trust and lead to better communication. Patients who feel heard and understood are more receptive to their doctor’s advice.
- Data requirements: To provide high-end care and ensure that consumers receive effective treatment when and where they need it, they must have access to their health data. For instance, a patient’s lack of knowledge about their treatment’s adverse effects may prevent them from seeking help when they need it.
Leveraging AI in Pharma to Map the Patient Journey
AI pharma acts as a cornerstone in PJM by its ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data at unprecedented scale and speed. AI algorithms can seamlessly collate data from diverse sources, including EHRs, claims data, social media, wearable devices, and more, providing a comprehensive and holistic perspective of the patient’s journey.
This is how AI maps the patient journey-
- Leveraging RWD to gain comprehensive insights into patient experiences
- AI-powered data collection and collation from diverse sources
- ML algorithms and NLP for patient segmentation and sentiment analysis
- Deep learning models for predictive analytics and identifying patterns in patient data
What pharma enterprises need to do when planning to implement AI in their PJM-
- Identify appropriate datasets and sources for AI-driven PJM
- Establish an AI infrastructure and select appropriate algorithms for data analysis
- Ensure data privacy and ethical considerations in AI-powered patient data collection and analysis
Conclusion
Patient journey mapping is an unavoidable tool in pharma, especially when it rapidly going forward toward industry 5.0. And with the integration of AI and big data, there is a paradigm shift where these technologies are offering unmatched solutions and insights.
The dynamic AI-powered monitoring optimizes engagement strategies in real time, ensuring effective patient care. This patient-centric strategy aligns with the industry’s transformation toward personalized medicine. As AI advances its capability for innovation and predictive insights, moulding the future of pharma research and healthcare. By embracing AI, and digital health, pharma embarks on a path towards a greater number of success stories and patient satisfaction.