Patient information and education = satisfied and supported patient

NGP. At Lundbeck you provide patient education, can you explain what that means?

JP. At Lundbeck we use many resources for patient education. We feel that we have an obligation in providing patients with high quality information and access to support for the illnesses that are within our focus area which are providing treatment for neurological and psychiatric diseases. The better educated or informed the patients are – the better they can take responsibility of own situation and their recovery.

We see that patients use the internet widely to seek information about health conditions and treatments. In the US approximately one in two patients look for information about illness and treatments before they visit the doctor. In Europe it is approximately one in three. Once the patients have been to the doctor and received a prescription, they look on the internet for peer-to-peer interaction, where they can learn from others experiences.

There are therefore numerous needs for education and information to help patients who suffer from these difficult diseases. We try to fulfill these needs the best we can.

NGP. What are the benefits of using patient education?

JP. We believe that the patients will become more empowered and better qualified to have a dialogue with the physicians about illness and treatment and use the time with the physician in a better way. We all know that time with physicians is limited and therefore you as a patient need to ensure that you use the time for the right things. If you have a greater knowledge about your condition you are more likely to ask the right questions and make the right decisions together with the physician.

Lundbeck has a mission, which is to ensure a better quality of life for patients suffering from central nervous system (CNS) diseases. We believe that all the resources we use for internet activities for patients will help them in their road to recovery and hopefully ensure a better outcome of treatment. The better outcome of treatment with our products will not only benefit the patients, but also the physicians who of course would want their patients to get well as soon as possible. The society will also benefit from better-educated patients and we as a pharmaceutical company will benefit from higher satisfaction of our customers.

NGP. How does it relate to patients in varying countries?

JP. We have patient support sites in more than 20 countries worldwide. Of course we have to adapt the sites to local needs, which mainly is language and some visuals. But patients needs overall are very universal. When you suffer from CNS diseases, for example, depression, it is very important for patients to interact with others who are in the same situation, to find out that they are not alone. Another universal point is the need for specific information at a given time during your illness. Patients undergo pretty much the same course of illness regardless of nationality and here the internet has a major advantage, because you can ensure that patients get the right information or education exactly when they need it.

NGP. Would you recommend other companies use patient education? Do you know of any other companies that use patient education?

JP. Pharmaceutical companies should be focusing on patients and their need for education during their illness especially their need for information regarding the treatment they are receiving. Pharmaceutical companies in general use a lot of resources in researching for the best treatments and this information should definitely be available for patients.

In addition, companies can also benefit a lot from patients, to ensure that the challenges that patients experience are taken into account when researching for new and better ways of treating diseases.

Many pharmaceutical companies already have a lot of information for patients online and some have educational activities. However, a lot more could be done to the benefit of patients.

NGP. How do you think patient education will develop at Lundbeck in the future?

JP. Patient education is a very important area for Lundbeck and we will further develop our Internet activities in line with the needs of the patients and the possibilities of newer technologies, taking the future local governmental rules and regulations into account.

We will focus on developing applications that support the peer-to-peer interaction and also develop tools that can support a better and more efficient doctor – patient relationship.