Meet the Woman Who is Improving the Quality of Healthcare by Making the Lives of Patients Easier

Nadine Van Dongen

Tell us about yourself.

I am a Dutch female entrepreneur with the aim to give patients a voice through research. I work extensively on projects, and I believe in and love to make an impact and improve the quality of healthcare through patient insights projects. I want my two daughters to grow up believing they can be anything they want as long as they believe and take every step with kindness and empathy.

Tell us about your life before the venture/ leading up to your venture?

I have a master degree in International Business Study and have worked in an international pharmaceutical company. When I was 25, I had a car crash whereby I broke my neck and had to learn to walk again. Becoming a patient overnight made me realise how far the pharmaceutical industry is removed from their clients, the patients. This event shaped my mission to give patients a voice in healthcare.

Tell us something about your organization. What is it about and how is it helpful for people?

My company’s goal is to give patients a voice that speaks to all patients, no matter their view or approach to their health. Our website http://www.piphealth.com/ allows any patient to come in and sign up, then share their views. It welcomes people who are caring for someone with a condition as well such as the elderly with Alzheimer’s for instance or a sick child. We collect this information from patients from all walks of life who span over 140 different diseases. With such a wide array of information, patients with questions can come to us and be able to find out more information about almost any area of health, no matter how unique.

or https://thefutureofhealth.care/free/20/10/2020/piphealth-giving-patients-a-voice-through-research/

What has been the response of the consumers towards your venture?

Both pharmaceutical companies and health communication agencies have been working with PIPHealth for almost 15 years now. Companies like Janssen pharmaceuticals, Takeda, Amgen and Aurora Health communications have told us that they especially appreciate the strong values we base all our work on:

Trust

Building trust with our members and research participants is of utmost importance to us. We place trust at the center of everything we do so we are able to gain meaningful insight into your healthcare experiences and perspectives, allowing us to produce impactful research.

Empathy

We understand that your experiences regarding your health can often be very personal and difficult. We are here to listen to your experiences with empathy, without judgement and we provide a confidential space for your comfort and well-being.

Impactful Research

We refine our approach to conducting research with our clients to ensure we collect valid, relevant and useful qualitative and quantitative data so our research has an impact on the wider healthcare sector. Impactful research is crucial for us to achieve our mission of making healthcare more Patient Intelligent, thereby improving your care experiences.

What’s a leadership lesson that you’ve learnt that’s unique to being a female leader?

My company is my life, it gives me freedom to do what I think is important and a real sense of purpose. Now I am working on a software programme to make ‘systematic patient engagement’ more compliant, feasible and effective. And I am looking for investors to build that new business.

Give a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.

A car crash made me realise that I want to help people and now, more than a decade later, I am helping both people and businesses. First you need to believe in yourself, bring all of your experiences together and see what YOUR opportunity is. Then DO IT!