Healthcare in China

Context of the market research

Our client is one of the major companies in the pharmaceutical field in Europe. They wanted Daxue Consulting to help them understand better the Chinese market, and especially healthcare in China in order to develop their products in China. The specific segment they wanted us to focus on was the respiratory diseases. Respiratory diseases are an increasing issue in China and especially in Beijing where the air pollution jeopardizes Beijing inhabitants’ health. The objectives of the study were to understand people with respiratory diseases, their habits and expectations regarding their medical treatment.

Steps of the market research

The market research followed 6 phases:

Phase 1: Documentary research

In phase 1 of the project, our consultants conducted a desk research in order to have a broad understanding of the market and to gather all the information needed about healthcare in China. Our consultants scanned the Internet, specialized magazines as well as relevant databases in order to get as much information as possible. A research grid had been used to guide the research. As a result, through this extensive research, our consultants collected important information such as the situation of respiratory disease in China, in which cities our client should focus on, the habits of people with respiratory disease, and so on.

Phase 2: Qualitative interviews

In this step 2 of the project, our consultants needed to find relevant people to interview. They attended hospital workshop on respiratory disease, recruited students whose family members are doctors or diseased, recruited students from medical schools, etc. As a result, our consultants performed 50 in-depth interviews. The aim of those interviews was to get in-depth knowledge on the market. Therefore, we targeted professionals as well as our client’s potential customer to get as much quality information as possible.

Phase 3: Focus Groups

In phase 4, we organized 4 focus groups (2 in Beijing and 2 in Shanghai). For each city, we recruited doctors for one group, and patients for the other. This segmentation made it possible to understand the medical staff’s point of view as well as the patients’ one. The focus groups aimed at catching their collective perception and qualitative data about their feelings and expectations about current and future medical care concerning respiratory disease.

Phase 4: Analysis and synthesis

Last but not least, the final analysis of all the data gathered during the project results in a complete and detailed report of the Chinese respiratory disease situation, including recommendations to help our client with the strategic decisions they are likely to face in the near future.

To know more:

In China, Breathing Becomes a Childhood Risk
China lung disease
Focus groups in China