April 22, 2013, 9:08 a.m. ET

Quintiles Unlocks Path for Digital Patient Engagement

New report demonstrates how the digital patient can yield efficiencies throughout the biopharma product lifecycle

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2013-- 

Harnessing the power of the digitally connected patient can not only help produce enormous amounts of savings in the health care system, but can also improve patient outcomes.
Companies that can successfully engage with the digital patient will distinguish themselves and increase their probability of success according to a new report from Quintiles, "Harnessing the Power of the Digital Patient." The report explores a more modern approach to patient engagement to streamline product development, prove product value and accelerate product adoption and adherence.
Declaring this, "The Age of the Digital Patient," Quintiles tracks the evolution of patient engagement models over time and argues that the patient is at the center of today's model--a change from the more company-centric models of the past.
The report dismisses the value of "old-school" patient databases to find patients, and declares the 2.4 billion people with an internet connection as "today's database."
Core to the Quintiles Digital Patient model is the building of trusted relationships via patient communities, and the creation of opportunities for patients to engage in managing their own health. These programs range from introductions to clinical trials, to enrollment in adherence programs, to virtual studies that include collection of patient reported outcomes, medical records, lab data and device diagnostics to prove a product's value or safety--all collected directly from patients without introducing site burden.
"It's not a question of 'when' these capabilities will be available," says co-author David Coman, senior vice president Quintiles communications, "it's a question of when the industry will give itself permission to make these approaches standard. We have been preparing for 'The Age of the Digital Patient' since 2007, and have the capabilities and experience to provide transformational change today."
Quintiles digital patient experience extends back to its creation of Mediguard.org in 2007 and ClinicalResearch.com in 2009, and its completion of more than 350 custom patient programs on behalf of sponsors in its Digital Patient Unit. To date, Quintiles manages relationships with more than three million clinically profiled patients across nearly every therapeutic area.
First Patient Enrolled in Six Minutes
An example of the promise the digital patient holds can be found in an observational research study in which Quintiles recruited 425 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from its online patient community. The first digital patient was enrolled in the study in a mere six minutes with the last patient confirmed in only nine calendar days.
59% Increase in Retention Rates
A second example can be found in a 1,255-patient women's health study in which Quintiles developed a custom communication plan for each patient in order to reduce the number of patients that become lost to follow up or drop out of the study entirely. The customized communication program kept patient engagement high and resulted in a 59% increase in the retention rate for the duration of the study.
The full Quintiles report, "Harnessing the Power of the Digital Patient, " can be accessed here.
About Quintiles
Quintiles is the world's largest provider of biopharmaceutical development and commercial outsourcing services with a network of more than 27,000 employees conducting business in approximately 100 countries. We have helped develop or commercialize all of the top-50 best-selling drugs on the market. Quintiles applies the breadth and depth of our service offerings along with extensive therapeutic, scientific and analytics expertise to help our customers navigate an increasingly complex healthcare environment as they seek to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of better healthcare outcomes.