Healthcare market research
According to the World Health Organization, global spending on health was USD7.8 trillion in 2017, about 10% of global GDP or USD1080 per capita, and since 2000 global spending has grown at 3.9% p.a. in real terms, around one percentage point faster than global GDP.
These global averages conceal wide disparities in levels of healthcare spending: in the USA healthcare spending accounts for over 17% of GDP (over USD10,000 per capita) while in Pakistan and Bangladesh it is less than 3% of GDP (less than USD200 per capita).
Global economic growth and ongoing healthcare reforms, and constant innovation in treatments are all impacting the financial growth of the industry. In particular there is strong growth of around 5% year on year in revenues the medical technology sector, fuelled by expenditure in excess of USD30 billion a year on medical technology research and development.
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is the world’s largest integrated health system, treating around one million people every day. While still the UK’s main healthcare provider, staff shortages and long NHS waiting times are contributing to annual growth of around 6% in private healthcare spending, now running at over GBP30 billion a year.
The largest customers for healthcare market research are pharmaceutical companies, which accounted for 16% of total market research spending in 2018.
Healthcare market research is one of FieldworkHub’s focus areas and we have a strong track record of recruiting patients, healthcare professionals (HCPs) and healthcare managers to take part in interviews and focus groups. We have recently recruited patients with conditions that include diabetes, haemophilia, psoriasis, eczema and joint injuries are amongst the conditions that we have recently helped to research and recent HCP recruitment projects have included general practitioners, nurses, cardiologists, oncologists, haematologists, dieticians and nuclear medicine experts.
RELATED CASE STUDIES
Interviews with haemophiliacs and healthcare professionals in the UK, France and Germany
A leading global strategy consultancy wanted to carry out in-depth interviews with haemophilia patients and healthcare professionals specialising in haemophilia in the UK, France and Germany as part of a project to develop new ways of managing the condition. Over several phases of work, we recruited more than 20 healthcare professionals (including haematologists, haematology nurses, and physiotherapists and psychologists with haemophilia experience) and over 50 patients with this rare condition.
Tele-depth interviews with UK oncologists, haematologists, nurses and pharmacists
A leading global strategy consultancy wanted to carry out in-depth telephone interviews with oncologists and oncology nurses who had experience of working with prostate cancer, haematologists and haematology nurses who had experience of working with myeloma, and NHS hospital pharmacists. We recruited over 30 healthcare professionals for this study.
UK user testing of infusion pumps in hospital and home settings
A well-established healthcare company had created a new infusion pump used for blood transfusions in a hospital and home care setting. The pumps had already undergone extensive in-house trials but the company wanted to test out the user experience with a sample of key worker nurses and caregivers. Our services on this project included end-to-end project management of the fieldwork process. This involved the recruitment of around 40 professionally registered nurses and carers, and booking our partner facility for the period of fielding. Our work helped give the company the confidence that they needed to continue with the development of the infusion guard pumps for commercial use.