How You Can Achieve Patient Focused Drug Development

How You Can Achieve Patient Focused Drug Development By Monica St Claire The application of a sociolinguistic lens can glean hidden meanings within seemingly ordinary communications. On the Society of Linguists website, Walt Wolfram, director of the North Carolina Language and Life Project at North Carolina State University said, “We use language to send vital social messages about who we are, where we come from, and who we associate with.” Wolfram says that we can learn much about a person just by their choice of a single word.1 In the area of health communication, linguists identify [...]

The Patient-Industry Connection: Building Brand Loyalty

The Patient-Industry Connection: Building Brand Loyalty Many patients don’t know which pharmaceutical companies are responsible for the medications they take. What Patients Say About Their Relationship With Industry Over the last two years, Inspire’s Annual Survey illustrates this insight with little change from year to year. Despite regular medication usage, the majority of respondents had limited, if any, knowledge of the manufacturer of their treatment(s).  At most, 14 percent of responding patients and caregivers reported having a ‘relationship’ with these companies, characterized by utilizing such resources as educational materials or financial assistance or communicating with them directly. [...]

Adherence and Compliance: Is Our Language Patient Centric?

Adherence and Compliance: Is Our Language Patient Centric? T1 HATE hate hate hate the word "adherence." Makes pts who cannot follow instructions to the letter seem like unruly children. #hchlitss — Laurel Ann Whitlock (@twirlandswirl) March 27, 2015 1 During a tweetchat held in March 2015, patients with chronic conditions shared their feelings about the words adherence and compliance.  The above tweet illustrates the tone of that chat. The language of medication taking According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, compliance is “the act or process of doing what you have been asked or ordered to do.” 2 [...]