Patient journey mapping that finds where patients fall off the path.

Patient journey mapping is the step-by-step charting of a patient's path through a condition, from first symptoms to diagnosis, referral, treatment and long-term care. The patient journey in healthcare is that path, and the map shows where patients are delayed or lost and why, using the words of patients, caregivers and the HCPs who treat them. Nextyn builds each map from primary interviews in the United States, Canada and Europe, so every drop-off point comes with its cause.

A Nextyn patient journey map delivers three outputs: a stage-by-stage map of the patient journey, the drop-off points with their causes, and support interventions ranked by impact. Each output comes from primary interviews with patients, caregivers and HCPs, not from claims data alone:

• Journey map: each stage from first symptoms to ongoing care, with the people involved at each step
• Drop-off points: where patients are delayed or lost, and the reason each group gives
• Ranked interventions: the pathway changes and support services that address the biggest causes

Nextyn interviews the four groups that see a patient's journey from different sides: patients, caregivers, treating specialists and the referral stakeholders who route patients to them. The sample is matched to the condition and the markets in scope, including rare and hard-to-reach populations where feasibility is confirmed at scoping:

• Patients, at different stages of diagnosis and treatment
• Caregivers and family members who manage day-to-day care
• Treating specialists and their nursing teams
• Referral stakeholders, including primary care physicians

Nextyn runs patient journey mapping in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, among other markets. Markets are agreed at scoping, and the map keeps each country's pathway distinct, because referral routes and treatment access differ from country to country. A recent Nextyn example is a rare-disease study in Germany, France and Italy that mapped delays from symptom recognition to treatment start, alongside care-model research with specialists and nurses in Canada.

Nextyn recommends patient journey mapping before a launch plan, a patient support program or a diagnosis campaign is designed, while the budget can still follow the findings. At that stage the map shows which delays matter most, so support goes to the moments where patients are lost. There are three other triggers for a map: uptake below forecast, a new indication with a different pathway, and a change in referral or diagnosis guidelines.

The Nextyn patient journey mapping process runs in four steps, from brief to read-out, and nothing is commissioned until the client approves the plan. The client sees the sample, method and price before any fieldwork, and reads every interview with the Nextyn team at the end.

1. Submit the brief: the condition, the markets and the decision the journey map must inform.
2. Receive a plan within 48 hours: which patients, caregivers and HCPs Nextyn will interview, how, and what the work costs.
3. Approve the plan: fieldwork starts only after sign-off.
4. Review the read-out: every interview read together, showing where patients and HCPs agree, where they conflict and what is still open.

Nextyn sends a research plan within 48 hours of receiving the brief, stating who will be interviewed, how, and what the work costs. The plan sets the fieldwork length for the condition and markets in scope, and confirms feasibility for rare or hard-to-reach patient groups before any commitment. Nothing is commissioned until the client approves that plan, its sample and its price.

Nextyn's patient journey mapping explains why patients are delayed or lost, in the words of patients, caregivers and HCPs, while claims-based analysis counts what happened to patients from billing records. Claims data shows where patients stop, and interviews show the reasons, which is what a support program or pathway change has to address.