how abbvie is transforming the standard of care in immunology in canada
3 minute read
abbvie’s collaborations in gastroenterology, dermatology and rheumatology are helping to improve quality of life for patients. supplied
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abbvie
this story was created by content works, postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of a client.
managing a chronic illness is a complex and lengthy journey. the important work done to improve a person’s quality of life requires a holistic perspective that captures the many ways disease can impact a patient. abbvie’s commitment to the treatment of diseases goes beyond just the medicine and embraces this much-needed whole-person approach. the organization is committed to helping support the improvement of standards of care through exploratory clinical research and by supporting physician education.
in medicine, standard of care refers to “the degree of care a prudent and reasonable person would exercise under the circumstances.” improving standards of care can have a multitude of positive effects on patient quality of life.
a person-first approach
for those with autoimmune conditions, like many other illnesses, the totality of the physical, emotional, psychological and financial impact for themselves and their families can be devastating.
“we have a unique approach to solving health issues, and it starts with the person,” says alison shore, director of patient experience for abbvie. “to better understand the way people feel following diagnosis and to help identify gaps in care, abbvie has a dedicated patient experience team that understands the patient journey and brings real insights to better support the patient community.”
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the team is focused on the patient journey which spans the lifetime of a person with a chronic disease. they work to find meaningful support in the time after diagnosis, when patients learn about their condition and understand the options available to them.
it continues through educating physicians, providing specialists with industry-leading knowledge in a given disease state; and it follows through to access, to support people with navigating those available options.
when patients seek help from physicians, they hope to be treated by that standard of care. increasingly, these standards are shaped with patients participating in the decision making.
“after a diagnosis, patients must manage a multitude of issues getting the medicine they need,” says alison shore. “the path to treatment can be complex and stressful.”
improving standards of care in immunology
identifying solutions to improve the many different standards of care requires collaboration. this wrap-around approach helps to ensure patients receive the best, most-informed care available to them.
one example of this collaboration can be found in gastroenterology, where patients so greatly need effective management of their conditions to improve quality of life.
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“abbvie recently supported the development of a unique educational tool that aims to help physicians better interpret complex data from clinical trials by using images of the intestine,” explains dr. talat bessissow, gastroenterologist and associate professor at the mcgill university health centre.
“this may enable physicians to better recognize and set treatment goals that result in more standardized patient care across canada,” says dr. bessissow. “abbvie demonstrates a strong commitment to supporting health-care professionals’ knowledge and skill development, which ultimately helps raise standards of care for canadians living with inflammatory bowel disease.”
in dermatology, multiple stakeholder working groups are bringing together health-care practitioners and patient groups to identify meaningful changes to improve care for patients.
“by harnessing the insights of both parties, we can identify and implement meaningful improvements to patient care within our existing health-care framework,” says dr. melinda gooderham, assistant professor at queen’s university, dermatologist and founder of skin centre for dermatology and clinical investigator with probity medical research.
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“this collaborative approach aims for better treatment outcomes and greater patient satisfaction,” says dr. gooderham. “ultimately, it can optimize dermatological care delivery within our current health-care system.”
in rheumatology, abbvie works with the canadian rheumatology ultrasound society (crus) to increase education around ultrasound for more accurate diagnoses. a clear diagnosis helps those that live with rheumatoid arthritis gain quality of life from targeted therapies as early as possible.
“the unrestricted support that abbvie has provided to national training programs such as crus basic ultrasound course, as well as local training programs, has certainly changed the landscape of rheumatology practice in canada,” says dr. sibel aydin, professor in the faculty of medicine, division of rheumatology at the university of ottawa.
“the ultrasound training programs that are supported by abbvie have led to increased uptake of musculoskeletal ultrasound among the rheumatologists as well as other health-care professionals involved in the care of rheumatology patients,” says dr. aydin.
abbvie’s commitment to making a real difference in people’s lives is demonstrated by their focus on solving the serious health issues of today while addressing the medical challenges of tomorrow.
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this story was created by content works, healthing’s commercial content division, on behalf of abbvie.
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