Survey Reveals Gap Between Patient-Centric Aspirations and Implementation in Pharma Industry
Key Insights
New industry survey shows 91% of pharma professionals value patient-focused missions, yet only 22% understand how to effectively engage with patients.
Significant trust gap emerges as only 36% of patients express strong trust in the pharmaceutical industry, with notable disparities between employee and patient perceptions of patient-centric initiatives.
Industry leaders emphasize that connecting employees to their sense of purpose and patient impact is key to achieving true patient centricity and sustainable business outcomes.
A comprehensive industry survey has revealed a significant disconnect between pharmaceutical companies' patient-centric ambitions and their practical implementation, highlighting crucial challenges in the sector's evolution towards patient-focused care.
The Aurora Project's Second Annual Patient-Centric Benchmark Survey, which gathered responses from 1,282 participants, found that while 91% of industry professionals consider patient-focused missions important, merely 22% of pharma and medical device company employees understand how to properly engage with patients.
Trust Gap Between Industry and Patients
The survey uncovered a concerning trust deficit, with only 36% of patient participants expressing "quite a bit" or "a lot" of trust in the pharmaceutical industry. This skepticism is further reflected in the stark contrast between how industry employees and patients perceive various patient-centric initiatives:
- While 64% of employees believe they "listen and respond to patient feedback with respect and humility," only 38% of patients agree
- 62% of employees claim they provide "access to support programs and resources," compared to 41% of patient agreement
- 72% of employees believe they communicate with "care and compassion," yet only 43% of patients share this view
Employee Purpose as a Catalyst for Change
Industry leaders suggest that the key to bridging this implementation gap lies in connecting employees with their sense of purpose. The survey revealed encouraging signs, with 76% of workers confident their company was "making the world a better place" and 81% proud of their industry role.
Christi Shaw, Senior Vice President of Eli Lilly and President of Lilly Bio-Medicines, emphasizes this approach: "I'm not directing the teams to be patient centric, I'm enabling them to do what they've always wanted to do."
Practical Implementation Strategies
When empowered to connect with their purpose, employees have generated numerous patient-centric initiatives, including:
- Volunteering with patient associations
- Including patient stories in every meeting
- Reframing "market share" discussions to focus on "number of patients helped"
Amy Nicole Nayar, AbbVie (search)'s head of global patient relations, explains: "The more colleagues feel their work makes a positive impact on patients, the more engaged and effective they are."
Business Impact and Future Direction
The survey highlights that patient centricity isn't just an ethical imperative but a business necessity. Dr. Julie Gerberding, Executive Vice President and Chief Patient Officer at Merck (search), emphasizes: "In this world we are now operating in, you can't possibly be profitable if you don't have patients at the centre of what you are doing. It's not a sustainable business model."
The industry is witnessing a paradigm shift from a product-focused approach to a patient-centered model. While challenges remain in implementing patient-centric practices, the survey indicates that empowering employees to connect with their purpose may be the key to accelerating this transformation.