Patients have always been at the heart of everything we do. That is as true today as it was when we first crafted our Credo more than 75 years ago. Indeed, it’s what drove me to join Janssen in the first place – because I knew I would be able to make a genuine difference to people’s lives every day. Our dedication to patient engagement has become ever more focused on identifying new innovative ways to work with patients, not just for them.
In my position as Patient Engagement and Advocacy Lead, my primary role is to empower the patient voice, supporting people to be heard not only within their own disease journey, but by policymakers, regulators, and the wider healthcare community. It is only by partnering with, and listening to patients that we can understand their needs and together deliver more sustainable treatments and solutions that lead to better outcomes for them.
My endeavour is to help my colleagues collaborate with patients, to really understand how we can better meet their wants and needs now and in the future.
It is well documented that informed patients are better equipped to make educated decisions about their treatment pathway, and experience improved outcomes as a result.[2] In today’s digital world, people are becoming more exposed to and demand greater information about their health and related conditions. I believe this provides an opportunity for healthcare to become more collaborative, with patients playing a more active role in their treatment choices. That’s why I’m so proud of the recent launch of JanssenWithMe, a resource that aims to achieve just that. This patient-focused digital platform is the latest important milestone in our legacy to empower patients and will give them access to the information they need, whenever they need it, so they feel supported and empowered throughout their disease journey.
Introducing JanssenWithMe
JanssenWithMe is a user-friendly platform offering reliable disease-specific information in the areas Janssen serves. With access to a breadth of information, we hope people will be able to have more open, inclusive, and productive conversations with their healthcare team, other patients, caregivers, relatives, and patient representatives.
The platform brings together Janssen’s patient-focused content into one easy-to-access destination, supporting people living with disease and providing tailored information, based on patient insights, to increase their understanding and knowledge of their condition. As a trusted source of quality information, we hope JanssenWithMe becomes a valuable resource for Patient Advocacy Groups (PAGs) and patients. The platform is now available at a regional (Europe, Middle East & Africa) level, complemented by a growing number of localised country specific sites, allowing patients to access the local services that are available in their country and in their local language.
JanssenWithMe is core to our ongoing commitment to championing patient needs
JanssenWithMe forms part of our ongoing commitment to partner with, and serve, the patient community. Our collaboration with patient and PAG communities is based on a shared goal to improve outcomes and support distinct areas of need. As such, much of the content provided on JanssenWithMe has been co-created with the patient community and has been designed to complement the valuable resources currently provided by healthcare teams and PAGs.
I hope that JanssenWithMe helps people understand more about their condition, so they feel even more empowered to discuss their experiences and care preferences with their healthcare team, other patients, caregivers, relatives, and patient representatives.
The launch of JanssenWithMe is an exciting milestone in our ongoing journey in partnering with patients, and I would encourage you to explore the platform to find out more. Let me know what you think!
References
[1] Johnson and Johnson. Our Credo. Available at: https://www.jnj.com/credo/
[2] World Health Organization. Patient Engagement. shorturl.at/cfilD
[3] Doyle C, Lennox L, Bell D. A systematic review of evidence on the links between patient experience and clinical safety and effectiveness. BMJ Open 2013;3:e001570
