Finalist
Let the Patient Speak: Developing an Innovative Podcast Manuscript
Summary of work
Thousands of publications discuss the importance of the patient perspective, but few actually give patients the opportunity to speak on their own behalf. Traditional manuscript work can be intimidating and opaque for some patients, and participation can be difficult for those with certain disabilities. Furthermore, the resulting publications are often inaccessible to patients, laypeople – and even busy HCPs.
To address these clear gaps, we produced a standalone podcast manuscript with a patient and physician author. Critically, the manuscript was published in a journal, as well as shared across all major streaming platforms (eg Spotify). It therefore leveraged the advantages and prestige of traditional manuscripts (peer reviewed, PubMed-indexed, fully referenced and searchable) while attaining the wider audience and accessibility of a podcast.
Engagement with the podcast manuscript was double that of other manuscripts published in the same issue of the journal. Most importantly, the podcast manuscript directly and authentically facilitated the patient’s voice. We hope that this work stands as an example of how patients can become stakeholder partners in publications in a way that is enjoyable and accessible and how innovative approaches in the sometimes-staid field of publications pay off. The message is clear: let the patient speak.
Judges’ comments
Let the Patient Speak felt like a new and different approach to a podcast. The judges loved that it was genuinely fixing an issue across the board in many cases. It was a solution to a very clear problem with the therapy area. It had been positioned very clearly and extremely well executed.
