On the rise is the motivated patient. The internet is a gold mine of health knowledge, social media shares patient stories and perspectives, and patients try to be viewed as friends when it comes to choices about their healthcare. Being patient-centric has been a sentiment that has been answered for years by pharma. Being patient-centric means the healthcare organization or provider approaches patients at regular points during the lifecycle of medications to consider their needs and desires and then take them into account when making decisions that affect the production and access of drugs or the development of services and resources beyond the pill.

Adopting a patient-centered approach means a complete redesign of how various roles work, and this can only occur through successful patient and family involvement. This involves a culture shift where what is important to patients and families rather than to business and health professionals becomes the primary focus. Perhaps the most important thing for the industry is that patients continue to feel more motivated and ultimately want to be patient-centered in the healthcare industry. As such, pharma just doesn’t have a preference. “Centricity for patients is here and it is here to stay. 

Many businesses are unwilling to conduct patient engagement activities because they feel it would take too much time and will slow down the process of growth. But that’s simply not the case. A recent study indicated that patient interaction practices have the money-saving ability to prevent changes to the procedure and increase recruitment and retention of trials. The most customer-centered enterprises will have a higher reputation, be more trusted by customers and society as a whole, recognize from a patient viewpoint the advantages of their therapies and goods, be creative in their approach, and will lead to the growth of services beyond medicine. That will eventually translate into enormous benefits for practice and patients alike.