Finalist
SHARE+
Summary of work
Meeting the needs of patient organisations
A meeting that changes perceptions and makes a real difference to patients beyond the sponsoring of a company’s commercial areas of interest is rare. SHARE+ was such a meeting, bringing patient organisations together for the first time to challenge their thinking about social media and ensure that all avenues are explored and optimised with patients’ needs at the core. This innovative event is now providing a template for best practice within Roche.
Patient groups are a trusted source of accurate, unbiased and reliable health information online. Yet all too often, members of the public gain health information from less reliable, but more visible, sources. Knowledge gaps, resourcing and budget challenges can make patient organisations tentative about digital and social media. SHARE+ was designed to educate and inform patient organisations about the options that are available to them and how to think more creatively to maximise their patient interactions. SHARE+ visibly confirmed Roche’s commitment to patient support and has demonstrably changed how patient organisations view their social media strategies. All attendees committed to taking action following the meeting and follow-ups have confirmed that many attending organisations are making changes and working to better support patient needs.
Judges’ comments
This is a fantastic and innovative project that connects and brings together an audience you don’t often see in the industry. They put patient groups at the heart of what they were doing and did really well to grapple with, and understand, all the issues. With this excellent, well-conceived and very neat campaign they supported an underfunded group in a simple and effective way and reached a broad audience.
