Our view: Dancing a patient compliance jig

I’ve always been proud of my Irish heritage and that’s certainly fortunate, because my hair and skin tones are a dead giveaway.

By Editor on Sep 24, 2007

I'sve always been proud of my Irish heritage and that's certainly fortunate, because my hair and skin tones are a dead giveaway. I eagerly learned to cook all of my great-grandmother's Sunday dishes, proudly gave my daughters classic Irish names and saved for months to help my parents fulfill their lifelong dream of traveling to the homeland.

So with more than a little Irish blood running through my veins, I feel qualified to say that we are a resilient and hearty lot. But as my husband quickly reminds me: with that strength, comes a streak of stubborn as pronounced as the auburn highlights in my hair.

The stubborn hurdle

Stubborn is pharma's greatest hurdle when it comes to educating patients to improve compliance. And a recent survey conducted by Pfizer in Ireland illustrates just how much work pharma still has to do on that front.

According to the survey, the Irish are very positive about their health. The average respondent rated their state of well-being at almost eight on a scale of one to ten.

But despite that upbeat outlook, Pfizer says Ireland has some of the highest rates in Europe for conditions like cancer and heart disease. Perhaps more worrisome, however, is the fact that almost two-thirds of those surveyed by Pfizer were not interested in making changes to their lifestyle to improve their own health.

It's the perfect example of Irish stubborn in action. But it's safe to say that although we may have perfected stubborn, the Irish do not have a corner on the market. Stubborn is precisely what pharma faces in nearly every culture when it comes to building patient relationships that nurture compliance.

Finding a cure for stubborn would be the most revolutionary medical advance ever achieved by the pharma industry. Until then, achieving improved patient compliance can feel a bit like separating a leprechaun from his pot of gold.

A ray of hope

But another Pfizer study offers some hope. The group reports that a patient-focused, physician-implemented coronary heart disease risk evaluation and communication program implemented in nine European countries significantly lowered coronary heart disease risk by 11.7%, compared to usual care.

The study confirms that communicating with patients about their calculated risk and informing them of the implications may encourage patients to make changes to reduce their overall cardiovascular risk. Granted, it is a small gain, but sometimes the first few steps of learning to dance a jig are the hardest.