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German coach@home: supporting patients with rheumatic diseases

Posted by
Elke Zeise, Patient Value Unit - Immunology
04-Jul-2017

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At UCB, when we say we support patients, we really mean it. Our commitment to improving the lives of people with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or axial spondyloarthritis inspired us to create the coach@home programme.

We know that patients can find it challenging to adapt to the diagnosis of an inflammatory illness and to follow treatment plans devised by their doctors. They often have questions and concerns, and may struggle to incorporate regular treatment into their daily routines.

The UCB Coaching Programme coach@home offers various forms of help and guidance for coping with daily treatment. This support programme has been running since June 2014 in Germany and is specifically designed for patients taking UCB medication for immunological diseases. The initiative is intended to help patients learn how best to cope with their disease, and fills a crucial gap in patient care. Currently more than 600 patients from 145 pilot centres have signed up.

Through the coach@home programme, patients receive telephone support from seven trained nurses with many years’ experience to discuss any issues concerning the administration of the drug in question and treatment adherence.

These "coaches" offer practical advice on the administering the drug, provide information on handling and storing the medication, remind patients of doctor’s appointments and answer questions.

In the first year, patients are contacted eight times by phone on fixed dates. After these 52 weeks, the programme is concluded and the patient is supported in transitioning to self-management by the one of three applications: RheumaLive, AxSpALive and PsALive.

In addition, participants regularly receive information and materials reflecting their individual treatment situation and duration of treatment. A specific patient website is available to provide dietary advice, audio podcasts and web links which help ease the daily burden of dealing with rheumatic diseases and support patients in helping themselves. A patient newsletter provides seasonal recommendations such as tips for holiday planning and protection against infections.

An evaluation of the coach@home programme showed that patients appreciate the support they get from their coaches. 86% of polled patients stated that the programme was very helpful with regard to coping with the disease and administering their medication. All of those polled rated the support provided by their personal coach as very good overall. Almost all the respondents (94.3%) stated that the intensity of the support provided exactly suited them individually.

Patients’ healthcare providers also benefit because the ‘coaches’ provide support which might otherwise prompt them to call their doctor or to deviate from their treatment plan.

UCB identified the Net Promoter® (NPS) score as an actionable and integrated system to drive customer advocacy. The NPS of 85,2 underlines the very positive feedback we have received and motivates us to continue to offer this kind of service, which adds value for patients, to the community.

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Comment:
Posted by Melanie Wright, 24 July 2017

Hi there, is this service offered in UK? and how does a patient get registered on to the service?

Posted by UCB

Dear Ms Wright,
Thank you for contacting UCB and for your interest in our coach@home programme. The UCBCares team will be happy to provide you with more information about the UK patient support programme. They can be reached by phone +44 (0) 1753 777 100 or by email UCBCares.UK@ucb.com. Alternatively you can submit a request through the following website: http://www.askucbcares.com/uk/.
With best regards.
The UCB team