Teva Releases Survey Highlighting Needs of Caregivers in Canada

Toronto, Ontario (FSCwire) - At an event earlier today, Teva Canada, part of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA), announced results of a new survey on the state of caregiving in Canada, as part of a broader, multiyear research program to understand the needs of caregivers and patients in the country.

The research highlights the 8.1 million caring Canadians who assume the lion’s share of the care responsibility for patients. Despite the enormity of the responsibilities they assume—estimates are as high as 75 percent in chronic care—too often caregivers go unnoticed as they move through the healthcare system. Nearly nine in 10 Canadians say the Canadian healthcare system would suffer if caregivers were not taking such an active role.

“We heard from caregivers that they are overwhelmed by the magnitude of decisions they have to make in this role and how to maintain their own identity and keep their life on track while taking care of their loved ones,” said Christine Poulin, country General Manager, Teva Canada. “While there are some initiatives to help them, caregivers have fallen under the radar of our industry despite their critical role in the health journey of a patient.”

These latest findings underscore the impact caregiving has on a caregiver’s life and how it affects them on many levels: emotional, social, family, and work. The research also spotlights the perceived lack of support and network available to caregivers, leaving them feeling isolated. Specifically:

• 69 percent of caregivers said caregiving takes a toll on their emotional health, while 56 percent said it affected their physical health.

• One in two caregivers feel unheard and misunderstood by the people around them.

• 56 percent of caregivers said caregiving has had an impact on their relationships with other family members.

• 45 percent of caregivers said they do not have anyone to speak to about their day-to-day experiences as a caregiver.

• 25 percent of caregivers are unsure about the treatment program or condition of the person they are caring for, consistent with findings from previous research.

According to the survey findings, one-third of caregivers do not feel properly supported or heard by pharmacists today—and more than two in three caregivers would value more advice from pharmacists. Moreover, 79 percent of Canadians in general think that the role of caregivers needs to be better recognized by pharmacists. Previous research by Teva and the Canadian Caregiver Network also highlighted the importance of caregivers’ touch points with pharmacists, finding that more than two-thirds of caregivers saying that their pharmacist plays an important role in their competence and confidence as a caregiver.

Poulin stated, “In talking with pharmacists and caregivers, we learned that each felt the other was so important, and yet their relationship was somewhat undefined and often very centered on just the patient’s needs. We saw a clear opportunity to help optimize the relationship between caregivers and the pharmacy team as a way to contribute to a better quality of life for caregivers and better outcomes for those in their care.”

As a result of their research on caregiver needs, Teva is collaborating with CCN and its digital support solution for caregivers, Huddol—a web and mobile app that connects caregivers into a collaboration network so that they can learn, share and connect with their peers and experts—on an in-store pharmacy program to help offer support to caregivers. Its intent is to grow awareness and create tools and strategies that build stronger bridges between caregivers and the pharmacy team.

“What excites us about working with Teva on the Caregiver Friendly Pharmacy program,” CCN CEO Mark Stolow said, “is that it is a forward-thinking initiative that addresses caregiver self-care and empowerment through their vital touch points with pharmacists. It is grounded in the conversations that both CCN and Teva had with caregivers and pharmacists about the realities of their lives, and its aligned with the goal of Huddol to bring caregivers in closer contact with essential networks of support, formal and informal. This effort will help shift the narrative from talking about caregivers’ needs to tangible, practical actions that make a difference in their lives and the lives of those in their care.”

Throughout Quebec, a number of pharmacies are receiving accredited training to help offer support to caregivers and will be offered limited quantities of the Teva Care Kit, a folder containing resources to help with the care journey, to further strengthen relationships with pharmacists, and to find networks of support, such as Huddol.

This program is launching later this month and will run through December 2018. The outcomes will be used to guide a national rollout in 2019. Poulin added: “This program brings together caregivers, pharmacists and others, all working together to ensure the best health outcomes, not only for patients but for caregivers as well. We’re thrilled to be associated with this breakthrough initiative that elevates caregivers as vital partners in care and addresses two areas of importance to them: more support from pharmacists and more opportunities to network with other caregivers.” 

Teva’s recent survey was conducted by independent global market research firm Edelman Intelligence. The study was done through an online survey and included 1,000 members of the general public. The individuals who participated were selected to represent the online population of Canada’s age, gender and region distribution.

Earlier this year, Teva Canada announced a new brand positioning and visual identity, including a new logo, as part of a global brand rollout. The brand positioning signals the company’s fresh new approach to being more than the world’s largest medicine cabinet—by helping people to live better days and enabling them to have more control over their health.

Teva’s new global brand positioning was developed using insights gained from speaking to over 13,500 patients, 9,300 caregivers and 1,000 healthcare professionals from 20 countries between 2015 and 2018, all with a goal of understanding how health and illness are impacting people’s lives. Teva already is capitalizing on several of these insights to inform new packaging design, content for its digital resources and educational initiatives in specific countries.

About Teva

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) is a leading global pharmaceutical company that delivers high-quality, patient-centric healthcare solutions used by millions of patients every day. Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the world’s largest generic medicines producer, leveraging its portfolio of more than 1,800 molecules to produce a wide range of generic products in nearly every therapeutic area. In specialty medicines, Teva has been a world leader in innovative treatments for disorders of the central nervous system, including pain, as well as a strong portfolio of respiratory products. Teva integrates its generics and specialty capabilities in its global research and development division to create new ways of addressing unmet patient needs by combining drug development capabilities with devices, services and technologies. Teva’s net revenues in 2017 were $22.4 billion. For more information, visit www.tevapharm.com.

Source: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

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