A recent study1 commissioned by Noble International analyzed the biologic initiation process and current gaps pertaining to patient guidance and self-injection training practices. Anecdotal evidence showed that more than one-third of participating patients lacked the necessary confidence to self-inject during their first six months of treatment due to inadequate training practices. The study further maintained that considerable attention must be paid to providing patients with multiple opportunities for training—be it through practice sessions, training devices or at-home access to further medical information.
Here at Noble, we have made it our mission to help our clients in the pharmaceutical industry provide innovative products and services; we strive to provide patients with the resources and support needed to help them achieve better health outcomes.
However, if patients are to become and stay adherent to their self-injection regimen, then they must be given the tools they need to succeed.
Robust Patient Training Is Vital for Achieving Positive Outcomes
The aforementioned study also indicated that a staggering one-third of patients do not receive any in-office training from their healthcare providers (HCPs) for their self-injectable medications. The few that do receive training lack uniform instruction, as training methods vary widely.
Moreover, HCPs often lack the skills needed to provide helpful and proper training to their patients. When training does occur, it is often curt and does not offer time for patients to practice or ask questions.
In addition, because so many HCPs and pharma companies refer to the self-injection process as “easy”, patients are often reluctant to express their apprehensions and anxieties, and abstain from seeking additional support altogether.
For patients with chronic conditions such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis— among others that require self-injectable therapies— it has become clear that proper onboarding practices are imperative when trying to improve patient adherence to self-administrated medicines. By developing robust solutions like AdhereIT®, Noble can empower patients to become more confident in their self-injecting, which enables them to stay adherent to their medication.
AdhereIT® is a connected, user-friendly onboarding solution for the growing number of patients with chronic conditions who use autoinjectors to self-administer their medication. It works with either an autoinjector training device or an actual drug delivery device to detect the beginning and end of a patient’s injection session. It is an indispensable tool during clinical trials, as it helps to lower development costs while putting knowledge and power back in patient and clinician hands.
AdhereIT® reflects Noble’s deep understanding of patient anxieties regarding self-injectables and the challenges that stem from the lack of a proper training and onboarding process.
AdhereIT® addresses potential variables through innovative solutions such as:
- Flexible Hardware Design – accommodates most autoinjectors on the market by offering two design options:
- 360 Base – for a two-handed injection process
- 360 Clip – for a one-handed injection process
- Flexible App Capabilities – accommodates various needs for brands in clinical and commercial applications while meeting the needs of various disease states and conditions
- Quick and Accurate Data Collection – allows for easy tracking and monitoring of therapeutic treatments via patient dashboards including time of injection, symptoms and more
- Patient Education – improves the self-injection experience by mitigating patient anxieties
Proper practice of the self-injection process is a vital patient tool. Noble combines its knowledge and understanding of patient needs and anxieties regarding the self-injection process with its design and engineering expertise to develop and commercialize training devices that closely mimic the feel, force and function of the actual drug delivery device. This allows patients to practice the self-injection process with a reusable and resettable device that can help increase their confidence and adherence to self-administered drug therapies.
Noble’s robust training and onboarding solutions reduce negative transfer to help improve the efficacy of self-administered biologics and increase patient adherence.
Noble Speaks Patient®
In an effort to better meet the needs of our pharma clients and the patients that we serve, Noble has expanded its range of products and services to include training device Instructions for Use (IFUs), product launch strategy programs and training devices. Noble also works with pharma companies in the development of patient training videos— in doing so, Noble can help brands optimize their performance while helping patients learn how to properly self-administer their medications.
To learn more about how Noble’s training, onboarding and digital health solutions are increasing positive outcomes for HCPs and their patients, visit gonoble.com.
1 “The current paradigm for biologic initiation: a confirmatory quantitative analysis of self-injection training practices” published May 7, 2022, by James Hawthorne, Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery
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