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Qualitative market research: Clinical Practice DVT & PE in 10 Belgian hospitals

Value
07 august 2019

Market research to support a pharmaceutical company in the launch of 2 new indications for Product X (New Oral Anticoagulant): acute treatment and prevention of DVT (Deep vein thrombosis) & PE (pulmonary embolism).

Expertise: Market research

Project Highlights

  • Customer: Confidential
  • Main Goal: Support the launch of a new product, by providing insights in the current clinical practice of treating DVTs and PEs in Belgium
  • Main Results: Insights in the current clinical practice of treating DVTs and PEs in 10 Belgian hospitals and a clear and well-established answer to key strategic questions (to support the launch of the product)

The objective of the market research was to create insights in the current clinical practice of treating DVTs and PEs in 10 Belgian hospitals. Strategic questions were:

  • Is there a treatment protocol present in the hospital?
  • How do patients with DVT/PE enter the hospital
    • Through the ER,
    • Through the outpatient clinic of a hospital physician ,
    • Already hospitalised patients (for other disease)?
  • What is the hospitalisation rate of patients with DVT/PE?
  • What is the standard treatment flow from the moment the patient enters the hospital until the end of treatment?
    • Presentation and diagnosis
    • Hospitalisation rate and duration
    • Treatment
    • Monitoring
  • Who are the main stakeholders in the patient flow of DVT/PE patients?

Approach

First, desk research was performed on both the pathologies DVT & PE and a questionnaire was developed for both indications. This questionnaire was then tested by performing pilot interviews with three types of physicians who have relevant practice in treating DVT / PE. The results of this pilot study were presented to our customer and our methodology was fine-tuned (final questionnaire and validation on how results should be presented).

Subsequently, we interviewed 3 to 4 physicians per hospital, for a total of 10 hospitals in Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia. Each of these physicians practice a specific specialty that is relevant in the treatment of DVT / PE: emergency physicians, vascular surgeons, pulmonologists, general internal physicians and/ or cardiologist.

The information gathered via these interviews was then summarised per hospital, both for DVT and PE:

10 BELGIANHOSPITALS

1. Inflow

  1. How do patients with PE/DVT enter the hospital (ER, outpatient clinic, hospitalised)
  2. How did patients with DVT/PE end up in the ER: referred by GP with or without a treatment, directly from home, etc.?
  3. How did the patients with DVT/PE end up in the outpatient clinic of the hospital physician: referred by GP with or without a treatment, referred by other hospital specialist, etc.?
10 BELGIANHOSPITALS2

2. Standard treatment flow from the moment the patient enters the hospital until the end of treatment

  1. Presentation and diagnosis
  2. Hospitalisation rate & duration
  3. Treatment: what, who, where (for the different treatment stages)
  4. Monitoring: what, who, where

This hospital specific information was again processed into final conclusions and trends observed in the 10 investigated hospitals. Consequently, the results were delivered both on hospital level (to support key account management) and general level (to support strategic decisions).

The results of the market research were delivered by Hict during an interactive workshop, and gave an answer to the predefined strategic questions and consequently contributed to determine the company’s new strategy for the launch of Product X .

Results

  • Insights in the current clinical practice of treating DVTs and PEs in 10 Belgian hospitals via a structured analysis and report for each hospital
  • Interactive workshop with customer to answer the predefined strategic questions, consequently contributing in the determination of the company’s new strategy for the launch of Product X.