Optime Care President and CEO, Donovan Quill, byline article featured on November 11, 2020: “Patient-First Approach Enables Home-Based Support During Orphan and Rare Disorder Studies in Pandemic Conditions and Beyond.”
Thirty million Americans live with a range of 7,000 rare or orphan diseases, and while many affected patients have struggled with reduced care, isolation, and adherence issues for most of their lives, the issue of self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic has added to their quality-of-life challenges. These individuals now face elevated stressors due to being immunosuppressed, conscious of infection, and hypersensitive to viral threats.
Many sponsors of drug research also report that patient enrollment in clinical trials has been compromised, prompting contract research organizations and their partners to seek technology solutions that overcome the impact of the pandemic and other challenges.
During this kind of healthcare crisis, using tools that enable home-based clinical services, direct-to-patient support, and remote monitoring has become essential to keeping clinical trials running smoothly in an environment of unprecedented complications.
With a patient-first approach, wholesale distributors, specialty pharmacies, and hub service providers are connected under a “One Stop Shop” program instead of operating independently. The continuity across the entire patient journey, beginning with clinical trials, strengthens communication, yields rich data for more informed decision making, and improves the overall patient experience.
