So, we’ve explored a lot about customer journey mapping so far, but we’ve barely touched on the role that patients play in all of this.

It’s no secret that people use the internet as a research tool for almost everything, from grocery shopping to planning their next vacation - and healthcare is no exception. Patients are approaching HCPs armed with their own preferences, and sometimes demands, based on what they’ve found online. And, as we all know, knowledge is power, so this has created a significant change to the way healthcare professionals interact with their patients.

There’s an increasing amount of overlap in the needs of your customers and their patients, with many HCPs approaching treatment as a joint decision. This means that patients are having more of an influence on your customers’ attitudes, beliefs and even prescribing behaviors.

It’s worth understanding the patient journey as much as possible, so that you can more accurately interpret the influence it has on your customer. Let’s take a look at what a typical patient journey might look like…

Kelly has recently started experiencing problems with her digestion, including pain in her chest and heartburn. She takes to the internet to find out what the cause might be and fills in an online symptoms checker. This suggests she might be suffering from a condition called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease - or GORD - and that she should seek medical attention.

Kelly first visits a local pharmacy, and the pharmacist gives her some over-the-counter branded medication. As instructed by the pharmacist, she takes the medication straight after eating. After three days of trying it, she notices her symptoms are only relieved for a few hours at a time.

After some further research, Kelly finds out she should probably be taking a proton pump inhibitor or PPI, which relieves the symptoms for a longer period of time. She comes across your brand online and calls the pharmacist, who recommends that she also book an appointment with her doctor.

Armed with the information she found online, Kelly describes her symptoms and asks the doctor if she can try your brand of PPI treatment. After an in-person assessment, Kelly’s doctor diagnoses her with GORD, and agrees to prescribe her preferred choice of medication.

It’s clear that Kelly’s research and preferences have had an influence on her doctor's prescribing decision, and this may be the case for many of your customers too. This also means that patients have the potential to impact where your customers sit on the adoption ladder and whether they reach the full adoption stage.

You’ll also need to bear in mind that patient care plans are subject to change, based on a variety of factors that are outside of your control. Maybe their condition has changed, which means your product is no longer suitable for them and leads to a customer no longer prescribing your brand. If you can log these occurrences along the way, you’ll be able to better understand your customers’ prescribing patterns and the influence that the patient has at certain touchpoints.

And, on a final note - you should also think about the role that digital tools are playing when it comes to the patient journey. Patients have gained more control over how they access their healthcare in recent years, and there’s no sign of it slowing down anytime soon. There are a variety of apps and portals that allow patients to access their HCPs and treatment plans. This is known as the Digital Front Door.

The Impact of the Patient & Measuring Your Success