Patient insight via ethnography

Background and objectives

Our client aimed to gain insights and deep understanding of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and care givers, including:

• Fears and hopes of living with a condition, current life situation, limitations and emotions caused by their disease
• Unmet needs through communication about their particular situation and their informational requirements
• Patient segmentation based on needs

The study involved seven countries: the USA, Canada and five in the EU

Approach

We proposed an ethnographic approach, in two subsequent steps:

• Ethno interviews with patients:
  • Respondents were required to write a 7-day diary describing everyday challenges, difficulties etc., and to collect photos/pictures/images to show emotions and feelings
  • A full day observation with an in-depth interview followed in order to probe relevant aspects and video record the most representative situations
• Focus group discussions with patients and carers to discuss communication needs and expectations

Results delivered

• Report and recommendations expanded with pictures and images submitted by the respondents to give the client a vivid taste of their experiences
• Areas covered in the report included:
  • Top challenges in living with RA, key feelings and emotions of patients and care giver
  • Differentiating variables and patients' needs based segmentation
  • Patients' support: current, expected and ideal
  • Information gaps, communication style

Demand forecast and ideal profile development

Background and objectives

Our client's influenza vaccine franchise wished to find out what would be the future demand landscape in the United States for influenza vaccines, taking into account new differentiated products entering the market place over the next 10 years, and assuming no supply or distribution issues. Other objectives included:

• Assessment of the impact of entry of various differentiated products into a market without supply constraints
• To quantify the likely market performance of various differentiated products
• To project hypothetical market shares, based on trade-off with current product options, of various differentiated products

Approach

Research was conducted online using a conjoint exercise to assess the ideal product profile and also to understand potential demand for various differentiated products.

• 2,000 consumers and 500 doctors were interviewed
• In order to understand diffusion of various products into the market we employed Bass diffusion techniques plus Juster scale uptake modelling
• We utilised adaptive choice-based conjoint to model various vaccine attributes and their relative impact on product preferences among consumers and physicians, in order to identify those attributes of the client's future products which would most enhance or depress future consumer demand.

Results delivered

In order to forecast how demand for influenza vaccines, including both current and future products of our client, would grow or diminish in coming years, we constructed a market share modeller in Excel, one of many tools which allowed us to evaluate market scenarios with different orders of entry for numerous products.