PATIENT PATHWAY

CLIENT BUSINESS OBJECTIVE:
To diagnose the barriers that stand in the way of rapid and effective diagnosis and initiation of treatment for patients. To identify the timing of the various stages of a patient’s pathway to appropriate treatment within the Drug Programme.

CHALLENGES
The challenge was the diversity of the patient pathway: very different disease diagnosis, involvement of multiple specialists and the risk of misdiagnosis. These factors necessitated inviting a wide and diverse patient group with a narrow specialist profile.

THE PEX SOLUTION
Extensive qualitative-quantitative research, allowing for a detailed description of the patients’ situation, taking into account
– the patient pathway from first recognition of symptoms to suspicion and diagnosis;
– key administrative, diagnostic and therapeutic problems/barriers (from the doctors’ side);

DATA SOURCE
Qualitative study:
– 8 IDI with physicians from centres with a drug programme;
– 5 IDI with physicians from centres without a drug programme;
– 5 IDI with other specialists involved in diagnosis;
– 5 IDI with nurses working in centres with a drug programme;
– 8 IDI with patients treated in a locum programme;
– 5 IDI with patients not currently treated in a drug programme.

Quantitative study:
– interview with 40 specialist physicians;
– interviews with 230 patients;
– retrospective analysis of patient histories, 270 descriptions.

PROJECT OUTCOME
To build a diagram of the patient pathway in the system – identifying the time for each stage of the diagnosis process. Identification of barriers that delay the process of treatment inclusion. During workshop work with the Client to identify barriers that can be counteracted in the short term and plan a long-term strategy.