Safe Today, Sick Tomorrow?: The Impact of Pandemic Non-Compliance
Authored by Diana Nagel
The piece you’re about to read is from Klick Health’s Life (Sciences) After COVID-19 series, a collection of expert perspectives designed to inform and inspire the life sciences community for the coming changes and opportunities we anticipate as a result of this global health crisis.
The Insight
A man living with a chronic illness takes a drug holiday because he’s furloughed and needs to save money where he can. Skipping a dose here or there hasn’t caused any issues in his daily life—so he thinks he doesn’t really need to take this expensive, brand name medication everyday…
A young woman is overdue for a follow-up appointment with her gynecologist after an abnormal pap smear in February. Her doctor was adamant that she come in for a follow-up in March, but the appointment keeps getting delayed by her physician—so she thinks it can’t really be that serious...
A working-from-home mom is told that her company’s office won’t be opening until 2021 at the earliest, but her 11-year-old’s pediatrician is insisting her son come in to stay up to date on vaccinations. If it’s not safe to be in her private office at work—so she thinks it can’t really be safe to visit a doctor’s office where her son could be exposed to sick kids...
Whether it’s because their healthcare experience stalled when the system came to a halt or because they’ve chosen to avoid it, many Americans are becoming uncomfortably comfortable with non-compliance.
What do these people have in common because of COVID-19?
Non-compliance. Healthcare non-compliance has usually been defined as skipping appointments, not taking medications, and not eating well against healthcare provider (HCP) recommendations.
But the pandemic has created two new segments of non-compliance consumers who are (or think they are) following doctor’s orders:
Forced non-compliant consumers driven by the healthcare system halting non-urgent procedures and delaying in-office appointments or treatments
Anxiety-driven non-compliant consumers who fear being in a healthcare setting during the pandemic
Whether it’s because their healthcare experience stalled when the system came to a halt or because they’ve chosen to avoid it, many Americans are becoming uncomfortably comfortable with non-compliance. And lack of compliance today can impact consumer health and habits in the long run.
After the pandemic, what will be at stake if these non-compliant behaviors continue?
How embedded will non-compliance become in our everyday lives?
How will consumers feel about the healthcare system?
And how difficult will it be for life sciences companies to convince consumers to re-engage with the healthcare system?
The Evidence
As lockdowns lift across the U.S. and new routes of care (such as telehealth) help fill the gaps, the return to the healthcare system has been slow as both routine and urgent care continues to be deferred, including vaccination, routine chronic care check-ups that are used to monitor progression and adjust medications, cancer screenings and referrals, and emergency room visits for serious symptoms.
New non-compliant behaviors are in many ways grounded in trust (or lack thereof) in the healthcare system. Those who cannot access care may be losing confidence that the system can adequately care for their existing health problems, and those who are afraid to access care don’t have confidence that the system can keep them safe during the pandemic. HCPs worry that this shift will impact the health of their patients longer term, and are losing trust themselves—more than half expect the policy changes made to support primary care will be reversed once the pandemic is under control.
Safe Today, Sick Tomorrow?: The Impact of Pandemic Non-Compliance
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Author
Diana Nagel
VP, Strategy
Diana has more than 10 years of experience working in marketing strategy and analytics, with the majority in pharmaceuticals. She brings a unique understanding of how to deliver innovative solutions for clients with a trained eye towards measuring business impact. She has expertise in supporting healthcare professional and consumer marketing efforts for brands across a variety of therapeutic areas, including primary care, vaccines, and rare disease.
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