The Empathy Issue
Checkup No. 1: On Empathy, how Urban Health Today can drive stronger connections between HCPs and patients of color, and intentional language 101.
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Vital Signs
Must know right now
Consumer Tech looks to healthcare for its next disruption: Lyft, Uber, Calm, Instacart are all launching health verticals. Direct-to-consumer apps’ new health capabilities all aim to mitigate friction points and improve patient & HCP experiences across transportation, nutrition, and mental health. Often partnering with major centers of excellence and payors, tech is becoming an interesting and meaningful partner for media to help ease adherence and drive better patient (and HCP) support.
A timely conversation for TREMFYA PsO: Dermatological Equity: Tailoring Skincare for People of Color. The Washington Post delves into the necessity for dermatologists to address the distinct skincare requirements of individuals with darker skin tones, underscoring the pivotal role of empathy and inclusivity in healthcare advertising to effectively serve diverse populations.
Good Work doing the Good Work: An immersive experiential campaign that reframes the language & experience for one of our most stigmatized conditions. Look beyond Stable, an interactive installation from Boehringer Ingelheim begs the question, “What is the truth of life with schizophrenia?” In an interactive installation in NYC, Boehringer Ingelheim seeks to raise awareness on the reality of living with schizophrenia for both mental health clinicians, caregiver, and the general public. While the physical space was on short view, a digital companion continues the conversation online, with dedicated portals for HCPs, patients, and caregivers.
Consumer brands look to caretake caretakers: CeraVe's "Nurturing Tomorrow's Caregivers: The Future Nurses Scholarship Program." CeraVe's Future Nurses Scholarship Program doesn't just offer financial assistance; it demonstrates a profound understanding of the challenges nursing students face. By alleviating some of the financial burden, CeraVe not only invests in these students' futures but also shows a deep commitment to the healthcare sector's vitality.
Quarterly Dose
POVs, perspectives, and new ideas defining healthcare marketing today from guest editors across TPJ3.
Empathy Edition
Annually on June 6th people and organizations worldwide celebrate Empathy Day. Empathy as defined by Meriam-Webster is understanding a person from their frame of reference rather than one’s own, or vicariously experiencing that person’s feelings, perceptions, and thoughts. Said a different way, psychologist and author Brené Brown remarks that empathy is simply “feeling with people”.
In 1996, Nursing scholar Theresa Wiseman published a concept analysis of empathy that highlighted empathy as a vital skill held by excellent nurses and put forward four key attributes:
See the world as others see it
Remain non-judgmental
Understand another’s feelings
Communicate the understanding
In the nearly three decades since then, empathy has become increasingly top of mind across cultures and industries. According to Google Trends data, ‘empathy’ as a topic has continuously garnered increased interest over the past two decades - since 2004. Curiously, search interest in the personified form of the word, ‘empath’, has only begun to rise in the last few years (since 2016) hitting it’s highest point in Jan 2022.
Perhaps this rise of the empath as an entity coincides with TikTok’s arrival in the US in 2018. According to a 2023 Well + Good article, empath, ‘The psychological label du jour has become incredibly popular online, with videos tagged as empath garnering 3.1 billion views on TikTok’.
While empath and empathy – and the desperate need for both in today’s climate – have recently made their way into the cultural zeitgeist, healthcare is a field in which empathy has long played a leading role – as evidenced by Wiseman’s work above. For all of us who engage and connect with patients, it’s important to remember to approach our work from a state of empathy as well as practice developing empathic traits because as Brene Brown highlights, “empathy drives connection”.
In practice, there are often many barriers and challenges that stand in the way of approaching situations with empathy despite knowing its importance in theory – Empathy is so integral to care that 85% of patients would choose compassion over cost.
In one 2019 survey on doctor-patient relationships, nearly three-quarters of patients surveyed reported having seen a doctor who failed to be compassionate.
According to one study, a “relatively high percentage of health professionals, about 70%, find it difficult to develop empathy with their patients”.
The net-effect of this empathy gap is shown in a 2022 poll which reveals that less than half of Americans are satisfied with their healthcare. That dissatisfaction disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic patients with nearly 6 in 10 saying they are very or extremely concerned about getting good care.
Reasons for low levels of empathy or a lack of empathy in health care professionals stem from a combination of factors.
Time pressure (in an overloaded healthcare system): A 2016 Physicians Foundation survey of over 17,000 of America’s physicians found only 14% felt they had enough time to provide high-quality care.
Burnout: According to a CDC report, Nearly half of health workers reported often feeling burned out in 2022, up from 32% in 2018
An over-focus on solutions and treatment: Studies have shown that physicians tend to redirect a patient’s opening statement within 23 seconds and interrupt patients twice or more in 25% of visits.
A lack of proper training in empathy: According to U.S. News, “While less than 5% of doctor responses were judged to be ‘empathetic’ or ‘very empathetic,’ that figure shot up to 45% for answers provided by AI.” Some medical schools however, have started to offer a ‘kindness curriculum’ and use extended reality to bolster empathy in future HCPs.
Interestingly, those same roadblocks could be applied to most of us as we move through our daily lives and todo lists and deadlines. The need for healthcare practitioners to embody empathy for their patients is well understood but equally important, though less discussed, is the need for empathy in marketers and empathetic communications in media and advertising.
Why does this matter?
The fact is that there is a quantifiable business case for empathy. If empathic care is associated with better adherence as well as better patient outcomes overall and higher satisfaction then it stands to reason that empathic advertising can be a differentiating factor that leads to higher consideration, builds emotional connections with brands and fosters trust with patients and their care partners.
Empathy-driven campaigns typically outshine and outperform competitors, making it a strategic imperative. Campaigns combining creative ideas with empathy perform 20% better.
According to a study by Kantar, ads with inclusive and diverse representation are 25% more effective in driving sales than those without.
68% of people expect brands to demonstrate empathy yet the reality is that only 37% of people say that brands demonstrate empathy
Media and advertising that connects empathetically can lead to better health outcomes through ensuring patients are informed and educated.
Adapting the term ‘Highly Empathetic Person’ (HEP) to a marketing context, Lift Healthcare offers a new way of thinking about reaching patients through Highly Empathetic Marketing (HEM) and positions it as the key to developing messaging that connects with patients we serve.
Highly Empathic Marketing, at its best, leads to mutual understanding and patient-centricity. As frustrating as it can be for healthcare marketing strategies to miss, its more infuriating to be lost in the healthcare system as a patient or caregiver. Not living up to patient expectations can make the difference in a health outcome.
How do we put it into practice?
One way for us to consider empathy at the core of our strategies is through a framework called the Empathy Triad.
In order to drive empathy in media and advertising we should,
Listen via focus groups and qualitative research to truly understand your target and their perspectives.
Be intentional with the language you use – both public facing and internal.
Consider Return on Empathy as a metric to tie empathy to business KPIs.
Practice because empathy is a muscle that needs to be exercised, not an innate trait.
And remember…
"People will forget what you said but people will never forget how you made them feel."
– Dr. Maya Angelou
The Workup
How our partners could solve our brand challenges
Problem to Solve
TPJ3 provided a hypothetical campaign objective with the partner for a J&JIM drug to explore potential solutions that they can provide
For Invega, indicated for the treatment of Schizophrenia in adults, how can we encourage more empathy by HCPs towards Patients of Color?
Expose HCPs to articles and research studies that highlight the unique challenges faced by patients of color with schizophrenia, emphasizing the importance of empathy and personalized care. It is also important to share interviews with patients and healthcare providers who have successfully bridged the empathy gap. Personal stories can highlight the impact of compassionate care on treatment outcomes.
How can we help marketers/advertisers create campaigns that build trust and empathy toward Patients of Color?
Ensure that marketing materials are placed on websites and publications that reflect diversity by using trusted partners that resonate with HCPs in the treatment of patients of color.
Use video testimonials from HCPs who have successfully treated patients of color, showcasing positive experiences with the treatment of schizophrenia. Real patient stories can humanize the condition and the treatment. Patients being able to see treatment experiences of others from a similar background will also build confidence in their choice of therapy.
Fun idea to consider: Include a questionnaire within marketing materials for HCPs to check their empathy scores.
Representation Helps Build Trust.
71% percent of people say that it is more important to trust the brands they buy/use today than in the past.
Consumers say that brands’ attempts to engage with them often go wrong when they lack relevance (76%) or authenticity (51%)
(Edelman Trust Barometer, 2023)
Proposed Tactical Solution:
Knowledge Hub on Urban Health Today: A dedicated section featuring video testimonials and articles about HCPs treating patients of color and sharing their treatment journeys.
Key Components:
Weekly Newsletters: Curated eNewsletters featuring the latest articles on the treatment of schizophrenia. Emphasis would be given to articles that cover cultural competency and empathy in mental health care.
KOL Videos: A series of videos in which HCPs feature success stories and case studies that show positive treatment outcomes among patients of color. This can help normalize treatment and reduce stigma.
Patient-facing Podcast: Host discussions on ‘Health News and Views’ to reach Patients with Schizophrenia, allowing them to relate with other patients from similar cultural, social & ethnic backgrounds and hear how HCPs can cater to their experiences
Who is Urban Health Today (UHT)?
Urban Health Today is a leading source of news coverage on medical and public health disparities. They deliver relevant clinical news and analyze policy developments that directly impact urban health care providers and their patients. Their coverage focuses on clinical, social, and environmental health across multiple disparities.
In 2024, Urban Health Today has demonstrated significant success by leveraging its platform to effectively promote healthcare products. By focusing on medical disparities and reaching a diverse audience, UHT has substantially helped brands exceed their marketing goals.
What is their Unique Selling Proposition?
The UHT platform has a dedicated focus on medical disparities and health equity, leveraging a vast network of Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to deliver exclusive insights, data, and educational resources to healthcare professionals (HCPs). Utilizing their Mashup/Media reach and advanced technology, UHT's HCP reach and engagement tools are best in class. They also reach approximately 7 million DTC addresses through their products.
Proven Past Performance (Urban Health Today in 2024):
Overall Partnership Success: Of the 12 products from various manufacturers that have partnered with UHT this year, all have met or exceeded their performance expectations. On average, these products have overperformed in impression delivery by 39%, highlighting the efficacy of UHT's targeted advertising strategies and its engaged audience base.
Knowledge Hub Performance: A standout example of UHT's impact is the Breast Cancer Knowledge Hub. Initially, this hub aimed for 24,000 targeted impressions (contextual + HCP Target List) per month. However, it has consistently averaged 44,000 impressions monthly, nearly doubling the client's expected engagement. This overachievement underscores the UHT audience's relevance and high level of interest.
Pulse Check
What do you think? Your opinion could make you a winner (hint! hint!)
Empathy In Practice
Bringing empathy into your daily practice
Sticks and stones have nothing on words, and to say otherwise simply proves this author’s point. Language, Please is a free, regularly updated resource for anyone seeking to thoughtfully speak to evolving social, cultural, and identity-related topics, with many of our conditions included. Going through the exercises has been illuminating, educational (and a little humbling!), quickly becoming a frequently-tapped guide your friendly Strategists turn to time and time again.