PharmaVOICE: Cognizant’s Global Head of Life Sciences Says the Industry Needs to Shift Mindset From Doing Digital to Being Digital

“The biggest change the industry needs to make is to first shift its mindset from doing digital to being digital,” says Shankar Narayanan. “Only then can it move toward actions and behavior changes.”

For example, many companies have been using multi-channel marketing, or using mobile apps to recruit patients to a clinical trial, he says. But these are point solutions that are symptomatic of an industry when it’s in the “doing” digital phase.

“Being digital allows a company to say to a patient, you’re now in complete control of your experience and support is all being provided digitally,” he says.

This will happen when a company broadens its focus beyond one-off solutions, and instead begins to think about how to apply digital thinking over the entire patient journey or product lifecycle.

“This is not just about one element or just having a token digital presence; it’s really about thinking digital end to end,” Narayanan adds.

Healthcare value is really beginning to play a big role in the outcomes-based world and pharma companies need to prove that therapies actually deliver what they promise.

“Gathering such proof requires the ability to completely close the loop with the patient and be able to track that he or she received the treatment as they’re supposed to,” says Narayanan. “The ability to close the loop is fundamental now, and digital in its various forms is definitely enabling this, and in turn is being accelerated by the push toward outcomes-based and value-based care.”

Another factor driving adoption of digital technologies and business models is that today’s newer therapies require more interaction between patients and physicians, and more real-time monitoring. Gone are the days of large primary care therapies that started with simple oral treatment. Today’s increasing numbers of injectable treatments demand much more engaged participation of the patient in the overall healthcare delivery itself, says Narayanan.

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