Did you know that approximately 9 out of 10 adults have difficulty using everyday health information that is available to them in our healthcare facilities?
Low health literacy is directly associated with more hospitalizations, lower vaccination and screening rates, poorer ability to take medications properly and interpret labels, poorer health statuses and higher mortality rates among the elderly.
At Bristol Myers Squibb, we take patient centricity and health literacy seriously and understand that how we communicate with our patients and their communities is vital to the speed at which we deliver our medicines. From clinical trial information to brand materials, and across all therapeutic areas, BMS continuously evolves our approach to engaging patients and caregivers. To better meet these needs, BMS developed the Universal Patient Language capability as part of our Patient Experience team. The Universal Patient Language (UPL) team is charged with providing enterprise-wide teams with the necessary tools to translate complicated scientific information into digestible information with relatable content. Through this process our patients can better understand the materials that we give them to appropriately educate themselves and work towards better healthcare decisions and outcomes. The UPL program has been part of the BMS culture and embedded in our ways of working since 2014.
As the capability continues to grow and our patient’s educational needs expand, we look for ways to continue to drive this innovative capability to new levels. In collaboration with our Label & Launch Operations team, BMS began efforts to ensure our consumer Important Safety Information (ISI) on social media laddered up to UPL standards. Since our patients' health outcomes may be improved by their increased use of social media to research health information, by providing safety information in patient-friendly language, we can increase patient understanding and healthcare decisions and outcomes.
Beyond just relevant information about Bristol Myers Squibb's therapeutic areas and innovation, Our stories offer a window into the work our employees do every day for patients.
“In our industry, clear communication is the cornerstone of patient empowerment and helps drive a seamless experience. Universal Patient Language is utilized across the enterprise and ensures teams are confidently doing their best to provide clear communications to the patient and caregiver communities. The team has impacted 44 different documents this year alone, to improve engagement, comprehension and access for our patients as they look for information about their healthcare.”
Universal Patient Language allows us to consider how patients want to find, explore and share the information most relevant to them, thinking holistically about how their online and offline experiences connect. Moving forward, BMS is committed to embedding UPL across our patient and caregivers’ communications and engagements. By improving health literacy, we can make meaningful improvements in health equity.
Since 2021, we have collaborated with over 250 patients, more than 90 caregivers, and various other stakeholders to enhance our communications, spanning from disease state awareness to impacting 20 of our brands. Our efforts have influenced 125 different materials across the company, including plain language summaries, medical information materials, unbranded disease state materials, informed consent forms, financial assistance materials and branded DTC marketing materials.
Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. As global citizens, we work sustainably and responsibly to create a positive impact in the communities where we live and work.