Using longitudinal qualitative research to capture the patient voice

One of the best ways to ensure that a sponsor’s clinical and commercial programs reflect how patients experience a disease or a treatment is to interview patients directly over time.

This practice – longitudinal qualitative research – is an emerging science that can guide development efforts as well as inform communication strategies for treatments in any therapy area. For all its potential value, longitudinal qualitative research can be a complex undertaking, especially as the field is still establishing a set of best practices.

In this whitepaper we introduce the basic principles of sound longitudinal qualitative research and offer advice for sponsors considering such an approach as a way of ensuring that their development efforts are patient centric. Insights include:

• Pointers for designing longitudinal qualitative studies
• Choosing the most appropriate strategy
• How to think critically about change over time
• Best practices for communicating findings of longitudinal qualitative research