Denmark best at providing information to patients

Denmark is one of the best European countries for providing information to patients and involving them in healthcare, according to a survey funded by Novartis and compiled by Health Consumer Powerhouse (HCP), a private Swedish company based in Brussels and Stockholm.

Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Netherlands, France, Hungary, Norway and Slovenia are the other countries given a top ranking in the report but Portugal is one of the worst performers.

Although the top group is dominated by rich countries, the report concluded that money is not the only thing that matters when it comes to involving patients, with "will (of the nation) and perception of whom the healthcare system aims to serve" also important factors.

Together with Portugal at the bottom of the ranking were Bulgaria and Romania, while the UK, Italy, Ireland and Spain were also listed in the bottom 15 countries. The report said that the UK had a "clear need" to provide financial incentives to stimulate more patient involvement, and suggested that many European countries still need to open up for patients to make quality choices.

"We want to see that the patients can find information about healthcare, treatments options and methods including pharmaceuticals from various sources: patient associations, third parties, government and industry," said Kajsa Wilhelmsson, VP, external affairs of HCP.

Meanwhile, the French association of research organisations (LIR) has called for pharma to contribute more to providing information to patients. LIR, whose membership includes the subsidiaries of 13 major pharma groups, has announced seven objectives for 2009, including more involvement of pharma in patient information.

It said that currently patient information rarely targets patients' concerns and that the amount of medical information around is confusing. The organisation has frequently said and consistently maintains that direct-to-patient advertising is out of the question. But it sees a distinction between this and patient information.

Dominique Amory, LIR chairman and president of Lilly France, said that under no circumstances should pharma executives be directly involved in providing information to patients. A third party under the control of the authorities would vet their contributions. The association recommends a collective approach involving patient associations, health professionals and health authorities.

The European Commission is currently debating whether pharma companies should be given a greater ability to communicate with patients as part of the "pharma package" of proposed reforms.