Gfk Healthcare

Guest Editorial: Participatory Health - The Emerging Era of Engaged Health Consumers
By Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, THINK-Health and Health Populi blog

The most underutilized resource in health care isn't digital imaging or prescription drugs or even highly touted health information technology. It's the patient, stupid.

A growing cadre of health citizens is learning to more closely engage with the U.S. health system and participate in their own health care. Neglect them at your peril.

This isn't your brother's consumer-directed health care. Welcome to the new era of connected, participatory health care. We DIY photo development, travel and financial planning, and home makeovers. Health care is following these everyday DIY activities driven by several factors.


Health Care Marketing Research in 2010 -
What's Going to Be Hot and What's Not
Health care marketing research experienced a number of changes and trends in 2009, some subtle and some not so subtle.

Clearly, the trend toward staff reductions and significant budget cuts continued unabated. Against this backdrop of reduction, however, some new marketing research and trends arose, such as an even greater research focus in the area of oncology as well as an increasing interest in social marketing. In terms of methodologies employed, 2009 brought a movement back toward a reliance on qualitative marketing research, especially depth interviews, and a decrease in quantitative work. Last, but certainly not least, this year we became more mindful of federal and state regulations governing our activities.

What does all this mean for health care marketing research in 2010?

Did You Miss the November Issue of Topline?
Click here to read the issue, which includes:

  • Forecasting Managed Care Decisions
  • Hellooo Out There
  • Vanderveer's Views: Theory Can Be Great, But Practice Can Be Tough

    • Topline archive is available. Skim the directory and select articles you missed. Access subscriber opt-in/comment form.
    December 2009

    Here We Go Again

    As most of you know, I've been in the pharmaceutical marketing research business for almost 40 years. During this time, I have seen history repeat itself over and over, and it would appear from some of the research requests we get from clients that we are about to enter another one of those periods.

    In watching the pharmaceutical industry's behavior over the years, I have been reminded of the old saying about lawyers' handling of cases. "When the facts are on your side, shout the facts. When the law is on your side, shout the law. When nothing is on your side, just shout. "

    And so it is in the pharmaceutical industry...


    Richard B. Vanderveer, Ph.D.
    CEO, GfK Healthcare



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