Interview with Richard Dibon: Care pathways and rare diseases: the importance of a comprehensive approach

Since these are less well‑known and diagnosed, their treatment requires a comprehensive approach including informing practitioners, therapeutic education, connecting different stakeholders and verifying the correct use of the medication. The medical representative therefore has a crucial role to play in this health mission, ensuring the optimization of the patient's care pathway and raising practitioners' awareness of these pathologies.

"Rare diseases are a vital issue for patients. By definition, rare diseases are less well‑known, less diagnosed, and less treated. The role of medical representative therefore takes on its full meaning during rare disease missions.

Indeed, ultimately, patient care requires, beyond perfect knowledge of the field, a global approach including information for practitioners, therapeutic education, networking between the different stakeholders and verification of the correct use of the medication.

In practice, the medical representative is fully responsible for analyzing and performing the patient care pathway in order to save vital time throughout this process. He or she raises practitioners' awareness of the "signals" related to the pathology in order to reduce diagnostic errors. He or she promotes the referral of patients to expert centers or pathology specialists, informs practitioners about diagnostic procedures, the responsibility for prescribing and renewing treatment. Finally, he or she ensures that the medication is dispensed and used correctly, right up to the pharmacy.

In summary, the medical representative for rare diseases has a real health mission that he carries out thanks to his perfect knowledge of the pathology, of the tree structure of the care pathway specific to his geographical area. His success is the best management of the disease and therefore of the patients.

- Richard Dibon, Director of Strategy and Development at Pharmafield Group.

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