By: G3 Life Sciences Team
Getting hired during COVID-19 was a learning curve to say the least; no in-person client meetings, no conferences, and no HAPPY HOURS! Fast forward to 2022, and clients want to finally meet in person, non-virtual conferences start up again, and my chance to attend DIA Global IRL (in real life) for the first time arrives!
DIA is one of the most talked about conferences in the life sciences industry, spanning multiple days filled with networking, cool giveaways, and juicy content. As a DIA first-timer, I had the opportunity to sit in on several sessions, and from my time at the conference there were three topics that stood out in particular:
1. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I)
The conversations at DIA were heavily focused on DE&I, and ranged from leveraging diverse suppliers to incorporating diversity in clinical trials, including insights into the recent draft guidance release by the FDA in April 2022. The speakers brought information and global perspectives on health equity to the conversation to address health disparities and ensure diversity across clinical trials.
From listening to these sessions, one of my biggest takeaways was that diversity in clinical trials is here to stay. Inclusive research is critical for improving health equity because it accurately reflects the population who will be using the drug, vaccine, or medical device. By understanding in a controlled environment how a medical product impacts patients, companies can ensure they become safer and more effective when marketed.
2. Omnichannel Engagement for Accessibility
Across a number of sessions, there was a focus on omnichannel digital engagement (one of my favorite content focus areas!). In the past, the life sciences space has typically been pen-and-paper focused when it comes to engaging with patients. As a result of COVID-19, there has been a complete shift—organizations are moving toward a digital-first model where they invest in resources to meet customer and patient demands and provide a seamless experience for all involved. The sessions I attended centered around omnichannel engagement strategies and how to ensure your intended audience is able to easily access, connect with, and afford products and treatments as virtual channels become crucial to the patient journey.
For successful and continuous omnichannel engagement, and to provide an equitable patient journey, life sciences organizations should also consider inclusive messaging and targeting. This includes:
- Digital accessibility
- Uber-targeted ads with cultural adaptation
- Interpretation
- Social media monitoring
- Chatbots with multilingual capabilities
Doing so will also help these organizations hit diversity and inclusion goals, while putting the local patient’s perspective first.
3. Patient-Centric Care
One of the most memorable moments from DIA this year was when one of the speakers said, “Clinical research should directly revolve around the patient.” To be patient-centric is to do just that: have the patient experience at the center of development and commercial initiatives. Seems pretty straightforward, right?
Another topic largely covered across all DIA sessions was how COVID-19 has changed life sciences by forcing the industry to pursue technological innovations—for example, the shift from in-person doctor appointments to virtual or telephonic appointments. My takeaway from listening to speakers across these sessions was that these changes were necessary during the pandemic; however, they have since had lasting effects on patient care. Whether it’s because these appointments are less stressful, easier for patients to access, or cheaper to go to, there is little doubt that how we support patients day to day has changed forever as technology evolves.
As a first-timer, I am proud to be part of an organization that continuously strives to improve the drug development process as the life sciences industry changes. After all the interesting conversations, informative sessions, and engaging content, I did have one lingering question:
How do we continue to innovate efforts toward improving health equity, DE&I, and patient centricity?
As a WBENC-certified, woman-owned business, G3 is focused on promoting health equity across all services we offer. To learn how we can help you focus on diversity and inclusion to improve medical product development, get in touch with us today!
If you’re interested in continuing the conversation about diversity in clinical trials, check out our new webinar series G3 Meets, which focuses on a broad range of accessibility, diversity, and inclusion topics in the life sciences space.