Compliance and the older patient: How the Web can help
Di Stafford explains how customized digital communication can assist pharma in successfully engaging with older patients
By on Jul 27, 2010Di Stafford explains how customized digital communication can assist pharma in successfully engaging with older patients
In the current digital world, its easy for working-age pharma people to fall into the trap of believing that technology can offer a solution to every problemthe new mantra that there is an app for every ailment.
This belief system spills out into our planning for patient interactions.
We know direct patient contact is good, but time is money, and direct healthcare professional interaction is expensive.
Weve probably all been through the pharma marketing planning meeting in which the face-to-face nurse initiative becomes a call center program, and then finally an interactive website or text message reminder program due to budget constraints.
Digital patient solutions have been proven to work well in certain healthcare areas, such as contraception, asthma, and other areas with younger patient populations.
But do they really work for the millions of sufferers of long-term conditions, many of whom are aged 55+?
Connecting with older people
Historically, weve been told that it is this age group that has been hardest to engage with via digital media channels.
In 2007, European Commission research found that the majority of older people were not deriving benefits of the digital erawith only 10% using the Internet, compared to a population average of 47% for the region.
Against this background, it was heartening to read recent UK research that revealed that 1 in 4 Britons using the Web are now aged 50+.
The UK Online Measurement Company (UKOM), a division of Nielsen, reported that in the 12 months to May 2010, one million new 50+ Internet users were recorded in the UK, which accounted for 53% of new users in this period.
Significantly, not only are more of the older population getting online, their numbers are also increasing faster than any other group.
And most importantly for pharma, reports suggest that online activity for the 50+ group was more likely to involve areas such as health, travel, and genealogy rather than game-playing and social networking.
So perhaps the problem is not with the 55+ age group, but with the older 65+ group?
After all, this growing demographic group is most associated with multiple long-term conditions and the need for supported self-care.
When Im 64+
Here the picture is somewhat different.
In the UK, the BT/Age Concern report Older People and Digital Inclusion highlighted the fact that 64 per cent of people over the age of 65 have never used the Internet.
The main barrier to use of computers and the Internet among this audience appears to be a lack of understanding of and confidence with how it works, together with a fear of getting it wrong and not knowing how to get help.
Interestingly, the report identifies those with long-term health conditions as a priority audience expected to benefit particularly from Internet use.
Other studies have identified how severe vision, hearing, or dexterity problems frustrate many older peoples' efforts to engage with ICT.
The BT/Age Concern report concludes that, although some of the barriers may be difficult to shift, a number of older non-Internet users could be encouraged with appropriate support and intervention.
Reaching older people online
Websites need to be designed with a clear understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the older user very much in mind.
Mobile phone providers have already recognized the opportunity to meet the needs of this age group, and are producing ultra-simple, big button, high-visibility display handsets.
If pharma wants to engage successfully with older patients, we need to take a critical look at all our digital communication and research its user-effectiveness.
We should also improve our communications to patients families and carers.
As Dave Clarke, senior digital consultant, Complete Digital (and ex global emarketing manager, AstraZeneca) points out, Caregivers in elderly disease sectors are the most active in social media. However, there is very little provision for them in terms of content and services, and this needs to be addressed by the pharma industry. For example, Manhattans Cybercitizen report indicates that over 90% of Alzheimers caregivers are regular Web 2.0 users.
To meet the needs of our most elderly patients, we need to really understand their attitudes and use of digital media, and recognize that it may be very different from younger audiences.
I was recently at some research groups for a medication adherence text reminder service for arthritis sufferers.
All participants had been pre-screened as regular mobile phone users.
One 65+ participant was very helpful and positive about the service: Oh yes, that would be very useful But could you call me on my home phone to tell me when youre going to send a message? Then Ill know to switch the mobile on
Di Stafford is director of The Patient Practice, a health-marketing consultancy. She specializes in health communication, patient compliance, and health-related behavior change.