A commercial team at a leading pharmaceutical company wanted to understand the emotional implications of being diagnosed with and starting treatment for a severe chronic condition. Initially, the team planned to conduct one-on-one interviews with 40 patient ambassadors, some of whom were already taking part in a related clinical trial.
Business Challenges & Goals
- Overcome patient reluctance to disclose sensitive personal information to an unknown interviewer
- Reduce hard costs and eliminate scheduling challenges related to having an interviewer contact 40 patients for time-consuming discussions
- Gain the ability to thoroughly follow up with patients based on their input, to improve the overall results
Insights & Actions
The team worked with Within3’s client success organization to design a more efficient approach to the patient interviews. Instead of conducting time-consuming in-person or phone conversations, the pharma team used the Within3 insights management platform to conduct asynchronous interviews, which allowed the team to eliminate all scheduling and logistical hurdles while preserving patients’ privacy.
Patients logged into a 24/7 week-long virtual session at whatever time and cadence worked for them. Two groups of patients – those who were participating in the related clinical trial and those who were not – answered private questions based on their individual situation.
The private questions were only visible to each patient and the moderator. Patient identities were hidden.
Patient feedback on the approach included:
- “The most valuable part for me was the ability to take my time answering each question in the comfort of my own home. I was able to relax and not feel pressured to hurry up and answer.”
- “The questions were very well organized and pertinent to the process.”
- “The open-ended style of questions allowed me to give a true representation of what my experience was. Hopefully that knowledge can be used to assist others…to gain a better understanding.”
Business Results & Metrics
- Established private, convenient, and secure environment for more productive and insightful conversations
- Eliminated costly and time-consuming logistical processes while improving the quality of patient interaction
- Enhanced the company’s overall commitment to patient centricity
