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Segmenting patients for tailored support

Using Patient Activation Measure to personalise support and improve treatment persistence

At a glance

Sciensus co-designed and delivered a Patient Activation Measure-driven patient support programme with a pharmaceutical partner, segmenting patients based on their confidence, knowledge and ability to manage their treatment. A retrospective longitudinal analysis was subsequently conducted to understand the programme’s impact on treatment persistence.

The retrospective analysis found a 3.9 percentage point absolute improvement in persistence at year one among patients receiving PAM-tailored support, representing a 5.3% improvement.

The results were statistically significant across all indications and irrespective of previous medicine exposure.

The challenge

Long-term therapies

Patients receiving long-term therapies often vary in how confident they feel managing treatment at home. Some patients may feel comfortable with self-administration and ongoing treatment routines, while others may need more structured support, reassurance and coaching.

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Standard support model

A standard support model can risk over-supporting some patients while under-supporting others.

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Personalised support

Sciensus wanted to create a more personalised patient support programme that could identify patients who may need additional help and provide tailored support based on behavioural adherence factors.

The approach

 

A patient support programme was developed using the Patient Activation Measure, also known as PAM. 

PAM is a validated method used to understand how confident and able a patient feels in managing their own health and treatment. Patients were segmented according to their PAM score, allowing support to be tailored to their individual needs. 

The programme included: 

  • Initial nurse-led training for self-administration 
  • Follow-up nurse support 
  • Telephone coaching calls for patients requiring additional support 
  • Ongoing measurement of patient activation over time 
  • Tailored support based on each patient’s confidence and activation level

Patients with lower PAM scores received a more structured programme of coaching calls across the treatment pathway. Patients with higher PAM scores received lighter-touch support, with optional telephone contact where appropriate. 

This meant support could be targeted where it was most needed, while maintaining a scalable service model. 

 

 

The patient population

The patient support programme ran from 2019 to 2024. Patients received a self-administered biologic therapy for immune-mediated inflammatory disorders.

The programme focused its interventions on the patient’s first year of treatment. The retrospective analysis therefore assessed persistence over the first 12 months of each patient’s treatment journey, rather than following individual patients throughout the full five-year service period.

  • The analysis included 78,094 patients in total:
  • 5,034 patients enrolled in the patient support programme
  • 73,060 patients in the non-PSP comparison group
  • Approximately 10,500 patients completed the programme during the 2019–2024 service period

Patients were receiving long-term biologic therapy for immune-mediated inflammatory disorders.

The results

The retrospective analysis found improved treatment persistence at year one among patients receiving the PAM-driven support programme. 

Key outcomes included: 

  • +3.9 percentage point absolute change in persistence at year one 
  • 5.3% improvement in persistence 
  • Statistically significant results across all indications 
  • Statistically significant results irrespective of previous biologic exposure 
  • Targeted support for patients most likely to benefit from additional coaching 

Why it matters 

This case study highlights the value of moving from a one-size-fits-all patient support model to a more personalised approach. 

By using patient activation to understand confidence, knowledge and ability to self-manage, Sciensus was able to segment patients and tailor support accordingly. 

For manufacturers, this creates an opportunity to improve persistence by identifying behavioural adherence risks earlier and providing the right level of support at the right time. 

Rather than applying the same level of support to every patient, the programme focused resources where they could have the greatest impact.

Conclusion

Sciensus’ PAM-driven patient support programme demonstrates how behavioural segmentation can help improve treatment persistence. 

By combining nurse-led training, patient activation measurement and tailored coaching, Sciensus helped patients build confidence in managing therapy while enabling a scalable and targeted support model. 

This approach shows how patient insight can be used not only to understand behaviour, but to actively shape support around individual patient needs.