A content-led initiative that drove outcomes across patient engagement, public health, and policy.

Fixing Dad began as a personal story of how two sons helped their dad to engage with his health, and ultimately to reverse type 2 diabetes and put his cancer into remission. What started as a short video to help attract key stakeholders led to a BBC documentary that helped one family and the film’s sponsor, Prudential, to inspire patients and healthcare professionals, support policy change, and generate millions of pounds-worth of free, earned media.

For the client, the content generated significant campaign and brand awareness, it became a mechanism for extensive stakeholder engagement, and helped establish client-devised partnerships between organisations that included London Marathon Events, NHS England, Public Health England, Diabetes UK, UK Parliament, academia, and broadcasters.

FIXING US collects extensive footage, enabling what we capture to become more authentic and more useful for our clients. We offer Authentic Intelligence™ to help clients capture useful qualitative information to support their communications, research and insights-generation. Here’s one example question where Fixing Dad helps us to learn more about the patient-HCP relationship:

Q) In order of prominence, list the most effective things that doctors said help patients to more effectively engage with their Type-2 Diabetes.

A) Based on the analysis of these conversations and the broader context, here's a list of the most effective things that doctors say to help patients more effectively engage with their Type-2 Diabetes, in order of prominence:

1. Personalize the approach: HCPs emphasize the importance of tailoring their communication to each patient's specific needs and circumstances. For example, one HCP mentions, "I've always found the best way to interact with people is you've got to give a bit of yourself. So try and put it in context."

2. Educate about the disease and its management: Doctors provide clear, evidence-based information about Type-2 Diabetes and its management, with the doctor explaining that "There was a 2009 study and a 2017 study that showed a Paleolytic diet can reverse insulin resistance, and that was without exercise and also cardiovascular risk."

3. Encourage lifestyle changes: HCPs stress the importance of diet and exercise in managing Type-2 Diabetes. They often discuss specific dietary approaches and their benefits.

4. Promote patient empowerment: Doctors encourage patients to take an active role in their diabetes management, with one HCP suggesting, "If you could bring diabetic patients together in scenarios so they could sit and discuss things and talk about their experiences and how they're improving things, and possibly even somewhere it has started to go wrong so they can reverse it and bring it all back and improve their outcomes and their lifestyle and health. I think that would be great. It would probably work maybe even stronger when it's patients together, possibly." 

5. Address the whole person, not just the disease: HCPs recognize the importance of considering the patient's overall health and life circumstances, with one HCP noting, "We see all varieties of presentations," indicating the need to consider each patient's unique situation.  

6. Use supportive language: Doctors use encouraging and non-judgmental language to motivate patients. They focus on positive changes and improvements rather than shortcomings. 

7. Explain the long-term implications: HCPs help patients understand the potential long-term effects of diabetes to motivate better management. One doctor mentioned, "So, I think your challenge is focusing mainly on primary care because that's where the majority of people with type 2 diabetes are seen. The environment, the consultation time doesn't necessarily allow them the time to work collaborative with the patient. I think there's too much time spent on looking at targets and I don't think very much education happens. In a consultation. I think if it does it's a bit ad hoc because the consultation time isn't long enough." This suggests a need for more comprehensive discussions about long-term implications. 

8. Promote regular monitoring and follow-ups: Doctors emphasize the importance of regular check-ups and monitoring of blood sugar levels to track progress and make necessary adjustments. 

9. Discuss medication options clearly: When medication is necessary, HCPs explain the options, their benefits, and potential side effects to help patients make informed decisions. 

10. Encourage family involvement: Doctors recognize the role of family support in diabetes management and often encourage involving family members in the care process. 

By implementing these strategies, healthcare professionals can help patients better engage with their Type-2 Diabetes management, leading to improved outcomes and quality of life.