May 1, 2025
Understanding the patient experience at every stage of the health journey is increasingly recognised as vital in identifying healthcare solutions that meet the genuine, diverse needs of people and communities. “But are we really listening to patients?” challenged Annalise Coady, UK President and Head of EMEA Growth at GCI Health, moderating a panel event in partnership with the Healthcare Communications Association (HCA), “Pharma X Patients: It’s the collab we’re all here for but are we doing enough?”
For an audience of over 50 in-house, advocacy group and agency peers, an impressive line-up of industry and communications leaders debated the obstacles and opportunities in patient engagement, and the role of communications in improving patient experience and its impact on health and wider outcomes.
In a lively, wide-ranging and at times provocative session, panelists including Daniel De Schryver, Patient Engagement and Advocacy Lead, EMEA, Johnson & Johnson, Emma Reynolds, Managing Director, Health, Burson, Michael Cree, Group Senior Vice President, Global Influencer Head, GCI Health and Alex Charge, CEO, International Society for Patient Engagement Professionals (ISPEP) covered a diverse range of topics. These included the complexity of corporate terminology, the realities of “shared decision-making,” the emerging but still inadequate consideration of social determinants of health, the changing nature of search and AI, and the challenges of misinformation, health literacy and lack of diverse representation in clinical trials. The discussion then shifted to potential solutions, such as the power of influencers and authentic storytelling from people we trust, the necessity of co-creation, what we can learn from a data-driven alongside grassroots approach and the importance attached to patient voice by regulators in the decision-making process.
However, “there is work to be done on changing public opinion,” charged Daniel De Schryver. “We need to show that patient engagement in research and development, that’s win win. It’s a win for the patient and a win for society, because you make healthcare more sustainable. It’s also a win for the industry –you get more out of it for the same investment.”
Watch the panel discussion here.