Last week I was invited to attend HETTNorth by NHS England as a Patient Representative and take part in a roundtable discussion. It was clear to me that Public Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in healthcare / innovation is often seen through different lenses by various stakeholders. I wondered if there is another way to look at it…
Patients appreciate having their voices heard, yet they may harbor concerns about being exploited in the process. Innovators frequently view PPIE as a mere box-ticking exercise for grant applications, questioning its commercial value during the early stages of product development. Care providers and hospitals, on the other hand, face challenges in dedicating staff to engage with patients and are constrained by chronic understaffing, data protection, etc…
However, there’s a perspective where patients, innovators, and healthcare providers can all benefit from successful PPIE activities:
Patients are excited by new products and technologies that target real-world experiences and unmet needs. User-friendly products deliver high levels of adherence, and engagement strategies significantly improve health outcomes(ref 1):
• Patient education interventions improved knowledge scores by 19% on average.
• Self-management support programs reduced hospital admissions by up to 50% for some chronic conditions.
Innovators often view PPIE as a box-ticking exercise but early engagement with patient groups, advocates, and support organizations provides a direct connection to the target market. This approach reduces time to market and helps prevent wasted resources when there’s no product-market fit. It’s a core concept in a ‘lean startup’ (ref 2):
• PPIE in clinical trial design reduced recruitment costs by up to 20%.
• Patient input in health technology assessments led to a 15% increase in the adoption of cost-effective technologies.
NHS and care providers face significant issues with adherence to prescribed treatments. Particularly in expensive chronic conditions where adherence is around 50% (according to WHO). Medical products and services with high levels of customer/patient satisfaction can deliver high levels of adherence, increasing efficiency and reducing healthcare delivery costs (ref 3):
• PPIE in health technology assessment led to an estimated £5 million in cost savings per year in the UK’s National Health Service.
• Patient involvement in guideline development resulted in a 30% increase in guideline adherence by healthcare professionals.
A Win-Win-Win Scenario
A View of PPIE from this perspective suggests that all three groups can benefit:
– Patients get products that truly meet their needs, leading to better health outcomes.
– Innovators gain direct access to their target market, reducing development time and R&D costs.
– Healthcare providers see improved treatment adherence, increasing efficiency and reducing management costs.
Perhaps effective PPIE is not just about ticking boxes? It’s about creating a collaborative environment where patient insights help to drive innovation, leading to better products, improved health outcomes, and more efficient healthcare delivery.
References
- Coulter, A., & Ellins, J. (2007). Effectiveness of strategies for informing, educating, and involving patients. Health Services Research, 42(2), 569-590.
- Boivin, A., et al. (2014). Patient and public involvement in health research: A systematic review. Health Expectations, 17(3), 301-315.
- Fitzgerald, J., et al. (2020). The economic impact of patient involvement in health technology assessment. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 36(3), 239-246.