{"id":17430,"date":"2022-07-13T19:21:31","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T19:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/?p=17430"},"modified":"2025-12-01T13:29:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T19:29:00","slug":"the-pandemic-has-left-us-more-empowered-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/ghi-analysis\/the-pandemic-has-left-us-more-empowered-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pandemic Has Left Us More Empowered Patients"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Agust\u00edn<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Agust\u00edn Zabulanes<\/strong>
Country Manager
Boston Scientific Mexico<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

By Guillaume Corpart<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nrecently spoke with Agust\u00edn about opportunities the industry has identified\nbecause of the pandemic, and the way patients have taken a leading role in\ndecision-making related to their health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:\nThe pandemic and the information overload we have experienced in recent years\nhas altered the role of the patient. How have you managed to adapt to the\nchanges, and what kinds of strategies did you adopt? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A:\nWe have seen a lot of changes since the onset of the pandemic, such as the\nlevel of collaboration between doctors, patients, and insurers; the use of data\nand the search for personalized treatments to give us improved results. Medical\ntechnology today is advancing toward the personalization of patient care,\nlooking not only to make the patient feel better, but also for them to be part\nof the experience related to their health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People\nare now constantly looking for alternatives with regard to the diseases or\nillnesses they have, and the various ways of approaching a treatment. Today,\npatients are more informed and connected. It makes them more involved in their\nhealth and want to be part of, or at least influence, the decisions made about\ntheir treatment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthis context, the health sector as a whole, and the medical-device sector in\nparticular, are undergoing a large-scale transformation, which is why we have\nto evolve with effective strategies that go hand in hand with patient\u2019s needs\nand expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\nBoston Scientific, we have been working for several years on digital\ninitiatives to educate patients in different areas through the site\nwww.pacientescomoyo.com and on the Facebook page, where we have created\nawareness events together with health professionals. In April last year, we\nalso started an Instagram community, @mujerescomoyo, where we are seeking to\nprovide ongoing education about the various illnesses affecting women. Right\nnow, we have more than 4,100 followers requesting daily information or looking\nfor content about different treatment alternatives for their ailments. We have\nhad an enormous amount of activity, using an approach that allows us to gain a\nbetter understanding of the needs and thereby generate higher-value solutions\nto meet those needs through health professionals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:\nWe are at a new stage where people talk about patients as having the lead role,\nbeing empowered, with access to first-hand information, and right now they are\nthe ones pushing doctors to look for different alternatives. This is the main\nreason why they have become the target audience for companies selling medical\ndevices. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is this situation affecting the sector?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A:\nThe unlimited access to information today has revolutionized our lives, and\nthis of course has impacted our sector too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally,\na patient who visited their doctor and was unconvinced of the diagnosis could\nlook for a another professional to get a second opinion, although, depending on\nthe system, this was subject to varying degrees of difficulties and the costs\nassociated with it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now\npatients have multiple options to be informed without having to leave their\nhome or \u201cexpose themselves,\u201d whether this means looking for information online,\non social networks, or even through the use of teleconsultations.  This change puts the patient center stage.\nThey are the ones deciding which channels or sources to listen to in order to\nmake decisions. Having understood this, we see a need and feel a responsibility\nto direct our efforts at educating the population properly about health issues,\nsensitizing them to the importance of seeking out medical professionals, and\nempowering them to look for a more accurate diagnosis and a more effective\ntreatment for their health problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"AngioJet\u2122
AngioJet\u2122 Ultra Coronary Thrombectomy System
Courtesy of Boston Scientific<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Q:\nThe pandemic changed the way we see things, and it forced us to change our\nlives completely. What business decisions did Boston Scientific make vis-\u00e0-vis\nthese changes?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A:\nThe pandemic brought with it the obligation to develop alternative systems of\npatient care and follow-up, to reduce their physical presence at health\ncenters, thereby lowering unnecessary exposure to infections, and optimizing\nthe system\u2019s resources.  At Boston\nScientific, we have approached the issue on several fronts. On the one hand, we\nhave fast-tracked various remote assistance projects that we had been piloting.\nThe first technology we added was Clinical Eye\u2014glasses that incorporate an\naudio\/video system and allow us to provide remote assistance during complex\nprocedures where proctors (certified specialist physicians) act as guides\nduring surgery. Given the restrictions on flights and being physically present\nduring the pandemic, this was a highly valued solution for not delaying\nsurgery. Today, we have a structure dedicated to remote solutions that includes\nvarious technologies with different applications to provide clinical, technical,\nor educational support. Another interesting aspect is homecare for patients\nthat require close follow-up. Through a strategic alliance with Previta, a\nleading Mexican company in the telehealth sector, we are giving patients\nconstant follow-up in their homes, and providing valuable information to the\ntreating physician for timely decision-making. Our aim is to facilitate patient\nrecovery and reduce the risk of complications, as well as the associated costs.\nOur educational capabilities for healthcare professionals have also evolved\ninto a digital educational platform known as Eduacare, where health\nprofessionals can find a record of what they have learned, and a wide range of\ntraining programs. This platform allows us to customize content and create a\nbetter learning experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Note\nabout the company:<\/strong> Boston Scientific\ntransforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health\nof patients around the world. It is a global leader in medical technology, with\nmore than 40 years of experience, innovating in the fields of the cardiovascular\nsystem, heart rhythm, interventional radiology, endoscopy, urology, and neuro\nmodulation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We recently spoke with Agust\u00edn about opportunities the industry has identified because of the pandemic, and the way patients have taken a leading role in decision-making related to their health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":17431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17430","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ghi-analysis"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17430"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28651,"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17430\/revisions\/28651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalhealthintelligence.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}