This is part of a series of blog posts examining how Patient Support Services teams can deliver an outstanding patient experience.
To help Patient Support Services teams measure and improve the patient experience, PeopleMetrics has developed a model called the Patient Hierarchy of Needs.
This model includes five core patient needs and 15 questions that link to each need:
This model is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, whereby certain needs must be fulfilled before higher order needs become relevant.
Last time, we reviewed the second patient need in the pyramid - logistical support (does the patient know how to get their medication, and can they get it in a reasonable time frame?)
Once a patient is confident they can afford their medication and are sure about how to get it, their next key need is medication administration - does the patient know how to administer their newly prescribed medication?
Level 3: Medication Administration
The first three patient needs - financial security, logistical support, and medication administration - are shown in the pyramid below:
Even if the patient can afford their new medication and knows how to get it, but is unsure about how to administer it, they often will not onboard.
Remember to include a question that focuses on medication administration when measuring the patient experience with your patient support services offering.
PeopleMetrics' model includes the following question that measures the medication administration need. It is asked on a 5 point agreement scale (“5” = strongly agree, “1” = strongly disagree):
- The instruction materials I received on administering my medication were easy to understand
This question gets right to the point - were the materials created by your patient support services team around administering this medication easy for the patient to understand?
This is especially important for more complex therapies that are delivered through injectables.
Much like "Logistical Support," "Medication Administration" seems like common sense, and it is.
However, it is vital for initial patient onboarding and adherence over time.
Focus on these communications materials... over and over again.
Test them before releasing them to patients.
If you take medication administration for granted, or assume that your patients already know how to do it, they may not onboard.
Next time, I will focus on the questions we ask to understand if the next tier of patient needs are being fulfilled – support system.
○ ○ ○
Read all of the blog posts in this series:
- Introduction to PeopleMetrics' Patient Hierarchy of Needs
- Level 1: Financial Security
- Level 2: Logistical Support
- Level 3: Medication Administration
- Level 4: Support System
- Level 5: Confidence
○ ○ ○
About the Author
Sean McDade, PhD is the author of Listen or Die: 40 Lessons That Turn Customer Feedback Into Gold. He founded PeopleMetrics in 2001 and is the architect of the company’s customer experience management (CEM) software platform. As CEO, he guides the company’s vision and strategy. Sean has over 20 years of experience helping companies measure and improve the customer experience. Earlier in his career, he spent five years at the Gallup Organization, where he was the practice leader of their consulting division. His company offers CEM software with advanced machine learning solutions and hands-on analytical support to help companies make sense of their CX data. Sean holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a specialization in marketing science from Temple University in Philadelphia. He has published eight articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals and has taught over 25 marketing classes. Sean was named a 40 under 40 award recipient of the Philadelphia region. He is an active Angel Investor, including investments in Tender Greens, CloudMine and Sidecar.
Topic: Pharma CX
