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Our Priorities > Supporting Patients and Consumers Educating Patients and Health Care Professionals

Support for Patients with Autoimmune Diseases

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Under the Spotlight Film

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Teaching Kids About Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Hotlines Offer Telephone Advice and Referrals

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Knowledge Genie, the Virtual Medical Library

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User-Friendly Authorization Forms Reduce Paper Headaches

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In Puerto Rico, Abbott has developed an extensive patient education program for people who suffer from autoimmune diseases. MiHumira offers 24/7 support and information on managing these complex, chronic diseases.

The Under the Spotlight program, supported by Abbott, raises public awareness of psoriasis. Psoriasis patients in 12 countries appear in a unique film series that reveals how the disease affects their lives. In Spain alone, the documentary has reached more than 34 million people, encouraging many to seek care and support.

Fourteen-year-old Amalie has rheumatoid arthritis. At school in Denmark, she was teased about her limited mobility – until she contacted her local Abbott office for help in explaining her condition. Abbott staff brought a limited mobility suit – which Amalie had seen on the Internet – to her school so that her classmates and teachers could try it on and gain a better understanding of how difficult it is for her to do things they take for granted.

In Shanghai, operators have been trained to answer consumer questions about our nutrition products with the most up-to-date information.

In India, Abbott recently launched an educational initiative, Knowledge Genie. This virtual medical library offers a comprehensive collection of journals, ebooks, assessment programs and medical and scientific news, as well as a collaboration platform for health care professionals.

U.S. health care office administrators can spend hours of valuable time filling out routine authorization forms for prescription medicines. Abbott helps to make the process easier by contracting with Cover My Meds, a user-friendly database of automated prior authorization forms. Our representatives are trained to help health care staff learn to use the system.

We believe that well-informed patients feel more in control of their health and, therefore, are more likely to take the right steps to minimize their risks and manage their illnesses. Abbott provides a wide range of educational programs and materials to aid patients and consumers in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of many diseases and health conditions. Our educational programs train patient groups as well as physicians and other health care providers in the correct use of our products, and provide ongoing advice to help manage symptoms.

At the same time, we work with doctors and other health care professionals to share epidemiological data, advancements in science and insights from patients that can lead to more customized diagnostic technologies, treatment regimens and patient support materials.

We are working to strengthen our collaboration with patient organizations around the world – to gain deeper insights into patients’ day-to-day needs and challenges across many disease states. Through this understanding, we aim to improve the depth and quality of disease management information; advance quality of care; educate governments and other policymakers; and raise public awareness about the challenges our patients face and the need for expanded access to treatment.

We have developed formal guidelines to ensure that our engagements with patient associations adhere to the highest standards of ethics and have established formal governance processes for donations and sponsorships. Additionally, we have brought on board more than 100 dedicated staff members specifically focused on working with patient associations at both the local and regional levels.

Partnering with Patient Associations

As example of our approach to learning from patients, Abbott supports the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations’ (IFPA) Under the Spotlight program, designed to raise public awareness of the impact that psoriasis has on patients over time. Patients living with psoriasis in 12 countries have allowed cameras into their lives to create a unique documentary film series demonstrating how the disease affects their work lives, personal relationships and emotional outlook. IFPA and its member associations have launched this educational effort to encourage health care decision makers to expand patients’ access to the most appropriate therapies.

In Spain alone, the Under the Spotlight film reached more than 34 million people last year and helped increase enrollment in the local psoriasis patient association by 22 percent. Similarly, in France, the local psoriasis patient association experienced a 300 percent enrollment increase following our sponsorship of the film and awareness campaign.

Our efforts to support patients and their families often incorporate physicians and other health care professionals. For instance, in Puerto Rico, our MiHumira program provides extensive educational support for psoriasis patients and their caregivers, in both home and office settings. Our specially trained Patient Service staff works with third-party certified health educators to encourage greater medication adherence – which is very important in the care of autoimmune diseases, since the symptoms can worsen if a patient suddenly stops treatment. More than 90 percent of Puerto Rican psoriasis patients are enrolled in the program.

Complementing our support for psoriasis patients, we participate actively in patient association groups that raise awareness about the symptoms and challenges facing patients with a wide range of inflammatory diseases. In Portugal, for instance, we partnered with the local association for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to launch an annual weekend summer camp for IBD patients aged 18 to 25. The camp features workshops on nutrition and IBD symptom management, along with sports and entertainment activities designed to help IBD patients better understand their disease and more fully engage in daily activities.

Similarly, in Belgium, we work with physical therapists and ophthalmologists to help them identify early signs of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and refer impacted patients to rheumatologists for specialized care. This intervention can help save years of nerve-racking misdiagnosis and fruitless mistreatments. We also participate in a simple program that can change the lives of Belgian patients with Crohn’s disease. Many Crohn’s patients hesitate to leave home because they often need quick access to toilet facilities. By obtaining a Crohn’s pass card from a gastroenterologist, Crohn’s patients in Belgium can get instant access to restrooms, with no questions asked, through a network of participating restaurants, cafes and gas stations. We developed this program in response to patient research demonstrating the importance of peace of mind about toileting symptoms in enabling Crohn’s patients to enjoy healthy, active lives.

Addressing Gaps in Patient Needs

In developing nations, some of the most important work we do supporting patients and consumers involves training and educating local health care providers to address gaps in the quality and quantity of health care services.

In Brazil, for example, we are working with health care professionals, government authorities and patient organizations to raise awareness of the importance of preventing and treating respiratory infections in infants – especially respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature babies. We partner with the Brazilian Society of Immunization (SBIM) on a comprehensive educational campaign, using multiple media channels to educate families about the risks of respiratory infections and the benefits of early immunization. We also partner with a Brazilian patient association representing mothers of infants in intensive care units. Among other activities, the patient association recently sponsored a recognition campaign to celebrate and assist pediatric nurses who care for infants with respiratory disease. As a result of these initiatives, the number of Brazilian states establishing standardized protocols for RDS treatment has increased by 75 percent.

In India, our specially trained local field force helps rural health care providers stay abreast of current disease developments, and our two-day Train the Trainers program keeps India’s top physicians up-to-date on treatments for the most common infectious diseases. We have also partnered with the Indian Epilepsy Society to develop a program that trains health care workers to screen for and treat epilepsy, a condition that often goes untreated in India.

To advance understanding of the latest tools and techniques in cardiac care, Abbott's Crossroads training centers offer training and education courses for health care providers in coronary, endovascular and structural heart interventions. In addition to facilities in Brussels, Tokyo and Johannesburg, Abbott recently opened a Crossroads Institute in Shanghai, China, where nearly 1,000 health care professionals and instructors are expected to participate in training sessions in 2012.

Similarly, in both Vietnam and China, the Abbott Fund Institute of Nutrition Science (AFINS) offers an innovative model for advancing understanding and practice of clinical nutrition, helping to integrate nutrition training into local medical and nursing school curricula. We established AFINS in 2007 in partnership with Project HOPE and Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, expanding it to Vietnam in 2010, in partnership with Boston University, Bach Mai Hospital, the National Institute of Nutrition and Hanoi Medical University. AFINS is just one part of Abbott’s broader outreach efforts to strengthen nutritional science, testing and practices in developing nations. AFINS China has already trained almost 800 physicians and nearly 400 nurses and dietitians. In Vietnam, the program has helped integrate nutrition education into the curriculum at local medical schools, leading to the creation of sound nutritional guidelines for hospitals.

Simplified Authorization Forms

A common complaint among U.S. health care office administrators is the amount of time they have to spend filling out routine prior authorization forms for prescription medicines. Abbott helps streamline the process and reduce the time office staff must spend, from up to 45 minutes per form to less than five minutes. We contract with Cover My Meds, a user-friendly database of automated prior authorization forms. Abbott representatives are trained to help health care professionals’ administrative staff learn to use the system. The response has been enthusiastic, with customers praising us for making the introduction.