SUMMARY: The prevalence, complexity, and costs of cancer are rising – yet, across healthcare, up to 20% of expenditure is thought to be spent on interventions that are deemed inefficient.9 There is thus an urgent need to ensure that cancer care is delivered
as efficiently as possible for the sustainability of our healthcare systems.

What is the purpose of a pharma drug.com website? Those in the business unit would probably say that it’s to convert visitors into customers by asking for/about the drug. However there is a huge disconnect between what online health seekers want/need and what DTC people try and “push” on their websites.

Too many drug company people see their websites as a billboard to quickly convince visitors that their product is superior but I would argue that these websites could be so much more. They could be an ongoing resource for cancer patients and caregivers and by doing so bring people closer to the brand.

A recent survey bu All.Can found the following:

In qualitative responses, respondents said that they felt overwhelmed because too much information was given at once, and they would have preferred to receive relevant information at appropriate points along the entire care pathway.

Nearly a third of respondents (31%) felt they were not given adequate information about their cancer care and treatment in a way that they could understand. Additionally, only half of respondents (53%) felt they were sufficiently involved in making decisions about their care.

Nearly two in five respondents (39%) felt they had inadequate support to deal with ongoing symptoms and side effects, both during and beyond active treatment. In particular, nearly a third (31%) felt that they lacked adequate information and care for dealing with the pain they experienced.

Respondents reported a lack of information and support on what to
expect after their phase of active treatment was over. Specifically, more than a third of respondents (35%) felt inadequately informed about how to recognise whether their cancer might be returning or getting worse.

Gaps in information and support along the entire care pathway were more prevalent among those with more advanced cancers – reflecting similar findings in the literature that the support needs of these patients are often less well met than are those of patients with earlier-stage cancer.

In other word cancer patients, and caregivers, need help in sorting through the tons of information online. It should be considered OUR job to help them get the information in a way that makes them feel like they are empowered and like they are participants in their healthcare rather than just people getting IV’s.

These are the type of subjects that need to be addressed at pharma conferences not a show and tell that is noting more than a bullet point on a resume.