PatientsNeeds and Research Priorities in the Enteral Nutrition Market - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages Weenen, Jentink, Pronker, Commandeur, Claassen, Boirie & Singer (2014), suggest that the methods to achieve the objectives of the research were conducting a qualitative interview followed by quantitative questionnaires targeting enteral nutrition key opinion leaders. This paper examines Weenen et al., (2014) research about providing a systematic approach to achieving research prioritization in enteral nutrition.

Keywords: Disease areas, enteral nutrition market, key opinion leaders (KOLs), patient’s needs, product characteristics, research priorities.
Background and Aims

From the research conducted the results obtained were about defining the disease areas that needed more attention, ranking the importance of product characteristics of tube feeding, and finally assessment of the involvement of KOLs in enteral nutrition (Fulbrook, Bongers & Albarran, 2007). Weenen et al., (2014) ranked three product characteristics and three disease areas that deserved more research attention by summarizing the overall scores by multiplying ranks for both product characteristics and disease areas. The results were seventeen qualitative interviews conducted, and seventy-seven questionnaires completed and returned, which was only thirty-five percent in proportions.

The noted disease areas by Weenen et al., (2014) in oral nutritional supplements(ONS) and tube feeding with the highest priorities are ONS, general malnutrition and geriatrics, composition, and clinical evidence, taste from a KOL perspective,e and taste from a patient perspective. The paper by Weenen et al., (2014) is significant for the subject area in that it highlighted the involvement of KOLs in the identification of research priorities as they can provide a balanced view of unmet patient needs.

This was a limitation of the quantitative research analysis undertaken on patient needs and enteral nutrition in the market. Additionally, there was a high discrepancy between product characteristic prioritization from a KOL and patient perspective. Fulbrook, Bongers & Albarran (2007) researched European enteral nutrition and adult intensive care units and noted that to appropriately know the patients’ needs and enteral nutrition, it was essential to come up with a research study that will do away with all the limitations and obtain best results.

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