What is an incidence rate and what does it mean for your research? July 11, 2015 Incidence rate in epidemiology can be confusing to say the least. In healthcare and the study of disease, an incidence rate refers to the rate of newly diagnosed cases of a disease or illness. It is generally reported as the number of new cases occurring within a certain period of time. written by GKA Read more
How to handle hard-to-reach patients in healthcare market research July 11, 2015 Discussions about how to recruit tricky or hard-to-reach patients in market research are common – in fact, we’ve written a number of blogs on the subject ourselves. But the issue of what happens in market research with patients after recruitment is complete is less touched upon. written by GKA Read more
What impact will wearable tech have on medical market research? May 22, 2015 Wearable technology may be relatively new, but it’s already having a huge impact on the healthcare industry. From sensors that monitor blood pressure or predict heart attacks, to those showing surgeons how many steps patients take after cardiac surgery, patients and clinicians are already seeing big benefits. Something that looks likely to continue. What these innovations can achieve in the future seems limitless. Those in the know anticipate massive growth in wearable technology over the next few years – some estimates predict the global market will be worth over $6 billion by 2018. Over a third of the wearable tech used today is health related, largely thanks to widespread diabetes and an aging global population. Those are some big numbers, so it’s no surprise the healthcare industry is at the forefront of exploring the possibilities of this imminent boom. written by GKA Read more
Healthcare trends in the NHS… March 5, 2015 To the uninitiated, healthcare may not seem like a fast-moving area. After all, the NHS is the largest employer in the UK so it would be logical that it would take a long time for such a big ship to change course. In practice, however, this perception could not be further from the truth and the NHS is in an almost constant state of flux. Keeping up with the shifting sands of healthcare can seem like a full-time job, so we offer a quick snapshot of the most important recent changes. written by GKA Read more
Neuroscience in healthcare fieldwork – is it a no-brainer? February 18, 2015 As market researchers, we’re always on the look out for new ways to collect data more effectively and improve our healthcare fieldwork – the industry’s been that way since taking its tentative first steps back in the early 20th century. This constant drive to evolve means market research has seen lots of ground-breaking innovations over the past 100 years or so. Now, we’re wrestling with the best way to use one of the newest kids on the block – neuroscience. written by GKA Read more
How does it feel to live with Parkinson’s disease? December 5, 2014 At GKA our strength in recruiting and conducting patient studies in Parkinson’s disease (PD) allows us to get a true understanding of what people living with PD face every day. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition which can be symptomatically treated, but not cured. Treatments aim to reduce symptoms and maintain quality of life by replacing or preserving dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is involved in the coordination and control of movement, and as the levels progressively fall as PD worsens, the symptoms of Parkinson’s start to appear. written by GKA Read more