Who’s who in NASH? A medical fieldwork guide November 8, 2018 NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) is a stage of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD patients often require a range of healthcare professionals to help them get the diagnosis and treatment they need to reduce the long-term effects of this disease. NAFLD is a term used to describe a range of conditions caused by a buildup of fat in the liver. It is not caused by heavy alcohol consumption and it can affect anyone of any age. However, people are at greater risk of NAFLD if they smoke and are over the age of 50. written by GKA Read more
Your guide to using Orphanet for researching rare diseases October 8, 2018 From assessing how achievable your project is to recruiting respondents who fit your specific criteria, there’s a lot to thinking about when carrying out medical market research recruitment. And because researchers often have to conduct research in specialist therapy areas and reach out to people living with low incidence rate diseases, its can make things harder still. written by GKA Read more
Who’s who in head and neck cancer – a healthcare fieldwork guide October 2, 2018 The lowdown Head and neck cancer is a relatively uncommon type of cancer – however with around 12,000 new cases diagnosed in the UK each year it is a growing area for healthcare fieldwork research. There are more than 30 areas within the head and neck where cancer can develop, including the mouth and lips, voice box (larynx), throat (pharynx), salivary glands, nose and sinuses and the area at the back of the nose and mouth (nasopharynx). written by GKA Read more
Five easy ways to increase engagement in medical market research online communities September 20, 2018 If you want to access hard-to-reach respondents and target audiences with specific criteria, qualitative market research online communities are a great methodology. They’re a fast, efficient way for researchers to unlock in-depth insights and have a number of benefits for healthcare market researchers too: there are no geographical restrictions, they can fit into respondents’ everyday lives and they can also act as a kind of support group, allowing patients to come together and share their experiences. However, an ongoing concern with medical market research online communities is how to maximise engagement and ensure they consistently deliver the very best results. From initial low response rates to respondents losing interest during the research itself, uninterested and disengaged respondents can have a big impact on your results – and not in a good way! So, what can you do to increase engagement in your healthcare market research? Read on to find out; written by GKA Read more
Five common medical market research fails – and what you can do to avoid them! August 20, 2018 There’s a lot to think about when it comes to conducting a market research project. And when you add in the specific criteria of healthcare market research, combined with looming deadlines, hard-to-reach participants and time pressures, it’s easy to see why mistakes are made. But when it comes to medical market research, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail – so it’s really important that you are aware of any potential pitfalls before embarking on your study. With over 25 years of experience in the industry, we’ve seen it all – so without further ado, here are the five most common medical market research fails we see (and our suggestions on what you can do to avoid them!) written by GKA Read more
Why online communities are great for hard-to-reach patients August 13, 2018 It can often be difficult to source quality respondents for patient market research. Not only do you need to plan your research to fit in with your patients’ lives, but there’s often specific criteria to meet as well. From those living with low-incidence rate diseases that are often spread out across the country to projects targeting those who take a particular type of medication, or even newly-diagnosed patients, healthcare market research is notorious for its niche audiences. However, thanks to the rise of digital methods such as online communities, barriers are being broken down – making the lives of researchers that little bit easier. Read on to find out why online communities are the perfect methodology for engaging with hard-to-reach respondents in patient market research; written by GKA Read more