'Empathy is undervalued" | Mark Doyle, Founder: A Life in a Day

I am a huge believer in A Life in a Day's ability to create a world with more empathy, understanding and ultimately concession for patients. Our missions completely align and I very much look forward to supporting Mark and the team in any way I can.In this sponsored episode of Life With a Difference, I’m joined by Mark Doyle, founder of A Life in a Day, an immersive learning experience designed to help people working in healthcare walk in the shoes of someone living with a health condition for 24 hours.We talk about how the concept began, how the experience is built using a combination of an interactive app, live phone calls with actors, and a physical kit, and why it can create a level of empathy and understanding that is hard to achieve through conversation alone.Mark also shares how A Life in a Day developed its first therapy areas, from Crohn’s disease to heart failure and oncology, and what the team has learned about doing this work ethically by starting with patient stories first. We discuss the balance between realism and sensitivity, how they validate experiences with lived experience and medical professionals, and what meaningful outcomes can look like, from shifts in mindset to practical changes in trial design, communication, and patient support.If you work in healthcare, pharma, medical education, research delivery or simply want your team to have a higher level of empathy and you’re curious about building deeper patient understanding that leads to better outcomes, this conversation is for you.Sponsor disclosureThis episode is sponsored by A Life in a Day. Sponsorship supports the production of Life With a Difference, but does not influence editorial content or guest perspectives.Learn more about A Life in a DayWebsite: https://alifeinaday.co.ukYou can also find Mark and the team on LinkedIn. A Life in a Day run regular virtual taster sessions to give a short interactive introduction to how the experience works.00:00 Intro00:09 Mark Doyle introduces himself and A Life in a Day00:48 How Andy and Mark connected at Patients as Partners01:37 What A Life in a Day is, mission and purpose02:25 Andy’s experience, why it isn’t gimmicky, emotional impact03:33 Where the idea came from, how it started (2016)04:56 First conditions, Crohn’s disease, then heart failure and oncology06:30 Capturing the real grit, ethics, starting with patient stories09:18 How the experience works, app, calls, kit, wearables, sensations13:40 Why 24 hours matters, challenges across work, home, relationships14:08 Challenges growing a unique product, access and funding for HCPs16:21 Measuring success, learning, actions, and ROI for organisations18:13 What changes after the experience, workshops and implementation20:28 If funding was unlimited, reaching clinicians and students globally32:53 Conditions that surprise people most, asthma, obesity, diabetes35:09 Severity spectrum and why names can mislead public understanding36:23 Empathy as a driver for action and change37:32 Why patients often don’t have space to tell the full story39:01 Why living it beats hearing it, the next step in advocacy40:31 Five-year vision, making it part of healthcare education42:14 How to get involved, taster sessions, website and LinkedIn43:12 Closing thanksSocial media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lifewithadifferencepodcast/TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lifewithadifferenceLinkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-collinson/Please get in touch if I can help in any wayBlog:https://www.lifewithadifference.info/buymeacoffee.com/lifewithadifference