eCompliance - Part 1: The Patient's Perspective

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACTION POINTS

• Outline of the brief
• Key things you need to know about electronic compliance
• The gap between the numbers of patients and physicians who currently utilize eCompliance tools and those who would highlights the need for focused campaigns to raise awareness of the tools. Pharmaceutical companies can ensure access to this untapped part of the market through sponsorship of education programs and marketing efforts
• Demographic segmentations should be considered when developing eCompliance tools since patient populations typically differ across therapy areas. Age, socioeconomic status and place of work are likely to exert a significant influence. In order to maximize adoption, an eCompliance service should effectively match the lifestyle and preferences of the targeted patient group

ECOMPLIANCE

• The evolution of the eCompliance market
• The problem of compliance
• Compliance programs
• Main eCompliance channels
• Online channels
• The Internet is the key source of information for many patients
• Product websites can help boost compliance
• Email reminders can work in some patient populations
• PDAs - mobile access to online compliance tools
• Mobile phones
• SMS messages provide a direct, personal reminder
• Rapid answers to individual questions
• Mobile phones as disease monitors
• Mobile technology - increasing the options
• Other tools
• Watches, pagers and other reminder devices
• Smart medicine packs
• Key considerations for eCompliance tools
• Using the right channel to relay the message
• The age effect
• Ensuring access for all
• Opportunities in the eCompliance market

COMPLIANCE ISSUES - THE PATIENTS PERSPECTIVE

• Patient use of online tools
• The Internet is becoming increasingly useful for patient research
• Patient use of mobile phones and PDAs to obtain health information
• Use of online compliance tools
• Use of online disease management programs
• The pharmaceutical industrys role
• DeVilbiss
• Baxter

THE FUTURE DECODED

• Outlook for the Compliance market
• The incentives for improving compliance are significant - for all stakeholders
• Tailored solutions provide the most utility for patients and pharmaceutical companies
• Demographic differences can affect the utility of certain eCompliance channels
• Online compliance and disease management programs are more suited to certain conditions
• Vendors with a broad portfolio of flexible eCompliance offerings are well-positioned for the longer term

APPENDIX

• List of figures
• Bibliography
• Journal papers/news articles
• News articles/press releases
• Websites
• Relevant links
• Research methodology
• Consumer Insight Survey 2004
• Physician Insight Survey 2004
• How to contact experts in your industry
• List of Tables
• Table 1: Internet usage and penetration in the seven major markets, 2004
• Table 2: Internet penetration in the US by age group
• Table 3: Relatively few patients in all age groups have access to PDAs or handheld computers with an Internet connection
• List of Figures
• Figure 1: There is a significant difference in the percentage of patients and physicians who currently use online compliance tools and those who would in the future
• Figure 2: Total number of Internet users, 2000 and 2004
• Figure 3: General websites are used more frequently than lifestyle or product specific websites by patients to find information on the Internet
• Figure 4: Most patients would find treatment, disease and drug information the most valuable if featured on a health website
• Figure 5: The Crixivan website provides a personalized pill planner for HIV/AIDS patients who are starting a new regime, including the option for selecting reminder activities
• Figure 6: Advair website - provides key information on a novel product to boost compliance
• Figure 7: A range of online services is offered by WebMD, ranging from disease information and news, symptom checklists and advice on treatment regimes to reminders for doctors appointments
• Figure 8: Medicine refills and reminders are sent by email to subscribers to pcReminder.com. Alerts for appointments and meetings are also available.
• Figure 9: On time Rx is a Palm OS Medication Reminder Application that sends messages to remind patients to take medication and can also be used to help patients develop a reminder system
• Figure 10: Vhi Healthcare has developed several uses for SMS to aid compliance, including appointment reminders and daily alerts
• Figure 11: A wide range of alarm watches are available as medication reminders
• Figure 12: Simple, personalized pill reminders can be provided on a pager, with two-way communication and information provision available on the more sophisticated devices
• Figure 13: Compliance issues, how they affect treatment regimes and potential e-tools to increase compliance
• Figure 14: The utility and applicability of eCompliance tools varies depending on the channel, with email and Websites being most useful for information provision while SMS and pagers are most effective when used for reminder messages
• Figure 15: Chronic diseases which treated in the community are the most frequently researched online
• Figure 16: The younger adults, especially in the age group 25-34, have the greatest access to a PDA or handheld computer while use of this technology is limited in the elderly
• Figure 17: Across all surveyed countries, few patients use mobile phones of handheld computers to access health information over the Internet
• Figure 18: Scheduling doctors appointments and accessing healthcare information are the most common uses for mobile technology
• Figure 19: The majority of patients never use online compliance tools
• Figure 20: On average, over a third of patients would use online compliance tools in the future
• Figure 21: Online compliance tools are usually used on a monthly basis or less often, possibly as a check or reference rather than a regular reminder service
• Figure 22: The majority of patients responded that they never use online disease management programs, although they are used more frequently than online compliance tools
• Figure 23: Approximately half of patients across surveyed countries would use online disease management programs in the future
• Figure 24: The UK site of Kidneydirections.com provides lifestyle and disease management tools such as recipes, organization details and treatment advice
• Figure 25: Several stakeholder groups are adversely affected by patient non-compliance, including physicians, healthcare providers and employers
• Figure 26: Certain groups will be naturally drawn to eCompliance tools for disease management. However, other patient populations may have to be targeted via education programs and technology provision