International congress delegates made up of diabetologists and other healthcare professionals (HCPs) who treat type 2 diabetes attending American Diabetes Association (ADA), European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) congresses.

Sixteen patient cases were researched and developed each with a different set of challenges, needs and preferences for physicians to consider when choosing a treatment. These patient cases were materialised as digital renders and 3D printed figurines, “bringing them to life” as characters that physicians would recognise from everyday clinical practice. Delegates could pick up a patient and place it on a touchtable to trigger an interactive pathway through that patient’s profile. Working through the content, delegates reviewed medical needs and patient preferences to match a patient to an optimal treatment choice. The touchtable technology allowed multiple users to access the tool simultaneously giving delegates the opportunity to use the tool together and to compare cases side-by-side.

FORXIGA®, XIGDUO®, BYDUREON®, BYETTA®, ONGLYZA® and KOMBOGLYZE® are prescription drugs that can only be promoted to healthcare professionals. They are marketed by AstraZeneca, who have UK headquarters so the company must follow the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Code of Practice, which requires information to be clear and unbiased.

Individualised treatment has been recommended in the ADA and EASD guidelines. The AZ portfolio offers choice and a personalised approach to meet individual patient needs. We felt physicians needed to know more about their patients to make the right treatment choice. We therefore gathered insights not only on medical needs but lifestyles, preferences and perceptions to create our patient cases. We then set a treatment challenge to delegates that tasked them with matching these factors to the optimal treatment from the AZ portfolio.

Most congress stands rely on innovative digital technology to ‘wow’ and attract delegates, we wanted to ensure that our tactic delivered real educational value underpinned by the science of our client’s products.