The LionsDen Award for Writing Excellence – Patients

Summary of work

Patient support programmes for chronic diseases play an important role in encouraging the healthy lifestyle changes and treatment adherence needed to optimise treatment outcomes. Unfortunately, most programmes are not designed with the specific needs, motivations and communications preferences of target patients in mind, resulting in one-size-fits-all approach. The co-entrants have developed a first-in-class, targeted approach to patient communications, based on attitudinal profiling, internal and external motivators for change and adaptive language. The approach facilitates the development of motivational or educational written materials, delivered through a variety of patient-selected communications channels, including website content, newsletters, motivational text messages and face-to-face discussions, each designed to resonate optimally with specific patient profiles. Publication of this approach in hypertension won a blue ribbon at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual Meeting, 2012, and tailored materials have now been delivered in pilot programmes in the UK and Italy. Relevant in a range of chronic diseases, this approach has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes, and to optimise investment of money and time. It is anticipated that this proprietary approach will be applicable to a range of future patient communications and engagement programmes conducted in partnership with industry sponsors, key healthcare stakeholders and payers.

Judges comments

This was a highly innovative and potentially important approach to patient communications. The idea that you look at your reader before you even start writing your materials is one that we don’t see often enough. The writing then had a good conversational style, despite the endeavour being underpinned by a vigorous academic approach.