Industry overview
What is shaping pharmaceutical
Pharmaceutical and medical-device companies need evidence from doctors, pharmacists and patients, gathered with verified respondents, strict confidentiality and careful questionnaire design.
- Prescribing behaviour is shaped by evidence, experience and access
- Pharmacies influence brand substitution and adherence
- Patient journeys reveal unmet needs between visits
Client background
A pharmaceutical company, working in India. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A pharmaceutical company
- Sector
- Pharmaceutical
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Healthcare panel, Qualitative research, Research consultancy
Client challenge
The company wanted to design support services for families affected by a rare condition but had little understanding of their daily challenges.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: understanding the needs of caregivers for rare disease patients.
- Uncover the motivations and barriers people do not state in a survey.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 8 weeks.
Target audience
Scope: 30 caregiver interviews.
Audiences we typically reach in pharmaceutical
Physicians and specialistsPharmacists and chemistsNurses and allied HCPsPatients and caregiversHospital procurement teams
Geographic coverage
Coverage: India. Market: India.
- India
Research methodology
A qualitative design, built to uncover motivations, decision processes and the language people actually use.
- 1Brief
- 2Caregiver interviews via patient groups
- 3Insight
With help from patient associations and strict confidentiality, we interviewed caregivers about diagnosis journeys, treatment access, costs and emotional burden.
Healthcare panelQualitative researchResearch consultancy
Sampling strategy
- Healthcare professionals and patients were screened on specialty, setting or condition, and professionals were verified before taking part.
- Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- caregiver interviews
- 30
- The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
- Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
- Review of open-ended answers
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Verification of healthcare professionals
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Long diagnosis delays and financial strain were the main burdens.
Small, sensitive studies require trusted partners and careful listening.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: small, sensitive studies require trusted partners and careful listening.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: long diagnosis delays and financial strain were the main burdens.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The company funded diagnostic awareness for physicians and a financial counselling service for families.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interview summaries and key verbatims
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: how do doctors choose between therapies?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.