Gaps in perception revealed, solutions produced in AFib patient study
Editor’s note: C+R Research are finalists of the 2026 Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Research Project award, a category in the Quirk’s Awards. The winners of the awards will be announced on November 17 during a virtual celebration. To find out more about the awards, visit QuirksAwards.com.
C+R Research has been named a finalist for the 2026 Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Research Project award in the Quirk’s Awards. The qualifiers include projects that took an innovative approach, demonstrated more than standard best practices and ensured the research had the potential to influence long-term or wider business objectives.
After conducting extensive ethnographic research with AFib patients in the U.S., C+R Research revealed the many factors influencing patients’ perception of their condition and treatment. Insights helped take these gaps and produce solutions through culturally grounded strategic frameworks to create opportunities in various fields.
Laura Westraad, vice president of qualitative research at C+R Research, answered questions about this project and the steps taken to ensure the best possible outcome.
Describe the ethnographic research study C+R Research conducted with AFib patients and its effect on patients’ perception of this condition.
A Fortune 500 medical device company approached us to better understand why Black/African American and Hispanic patients living with AFib were engaging at lower rates than expected with a treatment option that could benefit them. The concern was that traditional patient journeys and communications were not fully accounting for the lived realities, cultural influences and barriers these audiences encounter.
We conducted immersive ethnographic research with multicultural AFib patients across the U.S., spending time in their homes and learning about their healthcare experiences, support systems, beliefs and decision-making processes. The work revealed that patients weren't simply facing an awareness gap. Many were navigating layers of health literacy challenges, cultural beliefs, distrust of the healthcare system, language barriers and broader healthcare disparities that shaped how they viewed their condition and treatment options.
Beyond solving the immediate business problem, the project became a foundation for broader organizational learning. Through activation workshops, patient personas, video storytelling and culturally grounded strategic frameworks, the insights were translated into actionable opportunities across marketing, patient education, community outreach and internal training. The materials continue to be used as an ongoing knowledge resource, helping teams make more culturally informed decisions and keeping the patient perspective at the center of future initiatives.
How did you determine which methods were best to use for this healthcare research project?
The business question required us to understand not only what patients were doing, but why they were doing it. We knew that traditional interviews alone would not fully uncover the cultural, emotional and subconscious factors influencing behavior, so we designed the methodology around depth and context.
Ethnography was the obvious choice because it allowed us to meet patients in their own environments and see their realities firsthand. We supplemented this with pre-interview assignments that encouraged reflection and helped us tailor each conversation based on what participants shared beforehand.
Throughout the ethnographies, we incorporated projective exercises, storytelling activities and time-pressured techniques to get beyond rational responses and uncover deeper motivations, fears and beliefs. These approaches helped us understand how culture, family dynamics, personal health experiences and community influences were shaping decision-making.
Importantly, we also designed the project with activation in mind from the beginning. The goal was not simply to generate insights but to help the client act on them. That informed everything from the discussion approach to the development of highly visual deliverables, patient dossiers, sizzle reels and stakeholder workshops that brought the learning to life.
What steps do your team members take to educate themselves on an issue when a client has a project in a niche area?
Curiosity and collaboration are at the core of our approach. When we're working in a niche area, our first step is to partner closely with the client team to understand not only the research objectives but also the broader business context.
We begin with a structured kick-off session where we learn about the client's business needs, what they already know, key stakeholder priorities and what success looks like for the project. We also ask to review any existing research, internal learnings or relevant background materials so we can build on prior knowledge rather than spend time rediscovering what has already been learned.
We also draw on expertise across our organization. In this project, our CultureBeat division played a critical role in helping us understand the historical, cultural and societal factors that influence the communities we were studying. Combining healthcare experience with multicultural expertise allowed us to interpret findings through multiple lenses and arrive at a richer understanding of the audience.
Most importantly, we remain open to being surprised. Research is not about validating assumptions. It's about listening, learning and uncovering the insights that can move a business forward in meaningful ways.