Introduction
As a biotech or digital health company, you play an important role in healthcare and improving patients’ lives. And while clinical effectiveness and survival rates are important in highlighting the value of your therapy or device’s value, you need to also demonstrate the impact of your treatment on patients’ everyday lives.
Because there is nothing more powerful than a story of how a disease can compromise a person’s ability to do normal day-to-day activities that we take for granted like walking, cycling, and taking part in leisure activities with loved ones. And the difference a ground-breaking treatment can make in helping that person regain that ability.
So, in this post, I am going to explain how you can effectively weave patient stories into your promotional or educational material that will make a compelling case for your treatment to patients, doctors, hospitals, and payers.
Finding the story
The first step is to select the stories you are going to tell that relate to your treatment and the disease it targets. When finding and choosing stories, it is important that you include:
- stories from patients of different ages, genders, race, ethnic and cultural backgrounds
- stories from individuals at various stages of the patient journey from diagnosis to treatment to ongoing management of the illness
- stories from the patient’s close family members, caregivers, and healthcare team – this provides a broader perspective on the impact of the disease
Including a diverse range of stories allows you connect with a broader range of audience, and where appropriate, gives you the opportunity illustrate your therapy’s impact on different patient populations.
Telling the story
Once you have selected your story or stories, you need to start thinking about how you are going present it and structure it. Like any other story, a patient story will have a beginning, a middle, and an end. You start your story with the patient’s background, when they were first diagnosed, what challenges the patient faces because of the illness, the treatment they received, and the outcomes.
But there is more to writing a story than describing events and the outcome. You need to apply engaging storytelling techniques that enable you to resonate and connect emotionally with your audience. Techniques that truly put a human face on the benefits of your therapy or device.
So, as you tell the patient’s story, make sure you:
- Describe the emotional impact of the diagnosis on the patient – how did they react to the news? How did their families react? What thoughts and feelings went through their mind? More importantly, how did they come to terms with the diagnosis, and overcome those initial emotions?
- Relate how living with the disease has affected various aspects of the patient’s life – don’t just talk about symptoms. Explain how the disease has made it difficult for the patient to stay physically active and have a fulfilling life. Has the disease stopped them from going out and socialising with family and friends? Has the illness forced them to give up work and earn a living? Has the illness provoked anxiety and depression?
- Highlight how the patient adapted to and managed their condition – detail examples of how the patient found strength in a difficult situation and overcame any limits placed on them by the disease. What did they do? What coping mechanisms did they use? Did their experiences drive them help others who have the same condition? If so, how?
- Explain how your therapy or device helps the patient lead a normal life – describe how your treatment has helped the patient manage their condition. How does taking the medication/using the device fit into their daily routines? How has it made their lives easier? i.e. lower dosing, avoid more invasive and painful procedures. How has the treatment improved their overall health? Does it allow them to go back to doing the normal, day-to-day activities that bring joy to their lives
Create a variety of content
Once you obtained or written a draft of your patient’s story consider using a variety of formats to grab attention and make them visually appealing to your audiences:
Video
- Bring patient experiences to life – Create videos of patients speaking in their own words about the challenges, struggles, and triumphs they experience in their disease and treatment journey
- Visualise the patient journey – Include footage of patients’ everyday lives such as physician appointments, the treatment process, and discussions with family and caregivers to present a broader picture
Written content
- Case studies
- Patient-related sections in white papers
- Patient section on the company website/social media pages
- Blog posts
Whatever format you choose, make sure you present a detailed and engaging account of the patient’s experience and use language that is clear and easy to understand. Write in a style that is relatable to establish an emotional connection with your audience.
Also include direct quotes and anecdotes to add authenticity to the content.
Photos and images
The old adage, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ still holds true. Whether you are including a patient story in a blog article, case study, or website, adding relevant, high-quality photos or images can encapsulate the whole patient story and the message behind it. Photographs can also act as a hook to entice the reader to know more about the story. Examples of relevant photos include:
- Professional photos of the patients – to humanise the story
- Background photos – images that highlight the patients’ daily life. For example, photos of the patient at home, receiving treatment, or enjoying a hobby
Consider ethical and legal issues
When identifying potential patient stories, first and foremost you need to ask their permission to share them. Some may be unwilling or feel uncomfortable to share and even if they grant permission, the work doesn’t stop there. Patients are letting you in their lives, and sharing their experiences and innermost feelings so you must treat them and their stories with respect.
So, when sourcing and selecting stories, you need to take the following steps:
- Obtain informed consent
When seeking consent, you need to clearly explain the patient what they’re consenting to. This involves:
- explaining why their story is being selected and how it will be used
- describing where their story might be shared, including websites, social media platforms, online and printed educational materials, and conferences
- stating how long the patients’ story will be used
- making it clear to the patient that they have a right to withdraw their consent at any time, and a detailed explanation of the process for doing so
- a written agreement detailing all of the above
2. Ensure data privacy and security
Not all patients will be comfortable with using their real names and more often than not, sensitive health-related data may be shared within stories, so you need to take the following measures:
- Anonymity options – allow patients the option to remain anonymous or use pseudonyms. This helps patients feel comfortable about sharing their stories more openly without fear of being identified
- Data protection – make sure you comply with data protection legislation such as GDPR, ensuring that sensitive patient data is encrypted and stored securely, to prevent unauthorised access
- Confidentiality – avoid sharing too much personal information that could inadvertently disclose the patient’s identity and make sure that any medical information shared is relevant to the story and does not jeopardise patient confidentiality
3. Be accurate and truthful
When including patient stories in your content, make sure you represent them accurately, particularly if you’re paraphrasing or summarising them. Use direct quotes wherever possible. In addition, you must ensure that you:
- avoid making any changes to or embellish the story in a way that could give a misleading account of the patient’s experiences
- include enough context so that the story is understood correctly and its significance is clear
- allow patients to review their stories so that they can correct any inaccuracies or misrepresentations, and that they are comfortable with how their experiences are portrayed
- avoid exaggerating the effectiveness of your therapy or device
- back up any claims about the impact of your treatment on patients with scientific evidence
- be open and honest to patients about any commercial benefits your company may gain from sharing their stories
4. Treat the patient’s story with respect
When presenting patients’ experiences:
- use a respectful tone when referring to patients experiences and emotions within the story
- avoid sensationalising patient stories to promote your treatment or device
- present the story in a balanced way without overemphasising the negative or positive aspects
Conclusion
Including patient stories brings the benefits of your treatment to life in a way that clinical trial or outcomes data cannot. By giving an account of what it is like for patients to live with a disease, to experience and overcome challenges, and illustrating how your therapy or device has helped them triumph, you can highlight the real-world impact of your treatment in a powerful way. Stories also allow you to present the human side of your company and its mission, and put together a compelling case for your medical innovation in the eyes of patients, physicians, health systems, and payers.