Opening up New Perspectives With Real-World Data and Real-World Evidence

6. Nov 2025 | B2B

The digital transformation in healthcare is not only changing the way treatments are developed and marketed – it is also changing how we understand patients. While traditional market research is often based on retrospective data and hypothetical assumptions, digital tools now provide immediate, anonymized insight into the actual behavior of patients in their everyday lives.

By using healthcare software, patients generate large amounts of raw data in the context of real-world care. This data, known as Real-World Data (RWD), in turn forms the basis for Real-World Evidence (RWE).

RWE is the result of the systematic analysis of RWD – in other words, the scientifically based evidence that is derived from it. It offers a new quality of evidence: it shows how treatments actually work in everyday life, where there are gaps in information, and which digital offerings are accepted. For pharmaceutical companies in particular, this provides the opportunity to prioritize measures based on data and respond more specifically to the needs of patients.

Strategic Perspectives for the Pharmaceutical Industry

The integration of RWD and RWE into strategic processes opens up new opportunities for pharmaceutical companies. These include, for example:

  • Validating hypotheses from clinical studies in everyday healthcare;

  • Segmenting patient groups based on real usage patterns;

  • Evidence-based foundation for medical content, patient support, and omnichannel strategies.

These findings are not only available faster and more cost-effectively than traditional studies – they are also closer to the reality of patients’ lives. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that investments in digital information systems and patient-centered data analysis are essential for sustainable progress in healthcare.

From Observation to Relationship: Redefining Patient Engagement

Building on the observation and understanding of patients, patient engagement can be further enhanced. In a digital context, this can have a positive impact on the use of health applications and, in turn, benefit both the quantity and quality of the Real-World Data (RWD) collected. Above all, however, patient engagement is about actively involving patients in their care – not merely as recipients, but as active contributors.

In its Global Patient Safety Report 2024, the WHO emphasizes that involving patients in their care is a key lever for greater safety and effectiveness. According to the report, meaningful patient involvement can reduce the risk of harm by up to 15%.

A recent practical example shows how digital applications can be used not only to support patients, but also to better understand them. A recently published case study examined how the behavior and needs of a specific patient group can be analyzed in a differentiated manner using a digital solution – with exciting findings for medical, marketing, and patient support.

Conclusion: Listen, Understand, Shape

The future of healthcare lies not only in the development of new active ingredients, but also in the ability to listen. Digital tools make it possible not only to accompany patients, but also to learn from them in a constant feedback loop. For pharmaceutical companies, this creates a new level of proximity and the opportunity to not only observe healthcare, but also to actively help shape it.

 

Sources

 

Back to the Blog.