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Patient
Education Update
Vol 4. No. 4
by Dr. Dorothy L. Smith.
Expert in safe medication use and author of 23 books for consumers on how to take prescription drugs.
The consumer will be the
final judge of all the marketing materials you produce for
them. Once consumers and patients understand the information
being given to them and believe that it is important to their
own personal health, the health care system will start working
as it should ... and a product's ROI will increase through
patient retention.
DOES YOUR MESSAGE
FORCE CONSUMERS TO MAKE "LEAPS"?
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If your DTC ad,
Patient Package Insert (PPI), or other patient communication
forces consumers to make "leaps" from one thought to
another on subjects they do not have enough medical
knowledge on, they will not be able to understand your
message. They will probably turn the page or throw the
leaflet away.
I was recently invited
to speak at a Drug Information Association (DIA) meeting
in Manhattan, where I joined a panel of FDA experts
and representatives of a major advertising agency and
public relations firm. Our topic was, "New Ways To Promote
... Marketing of Pharmaceuticals: How To Be Aggressive
and In Compliance." My role was to evaluate DTC ads
and patient education materials from the consumer's
perspective.
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A point I stressed is
that -- with many DTC ads, PPIs, and patient education materials
--consumers are assumed to have sufficient medical background
to be able to make the mental "leap" from one statement to
another. However, most consumers do not have this knowledge.
As a result, they never understand the information. This is
the reason so many DTC and patient education materials are
ineffective.
If you put yourself in
the place of the consumer, would you be able to understand
this statement from an actual DTC ad?
"[PRODUCT] is a leukotriene
receptor antagonist that works by blocking substances called
leukotrienes. Blocking leukotrienes improves asthma symptoms.
[PRODUCT] is not a steroid."
A health professional
will understand this DTC ad ... but certainly not consumers.
Though this ad tried to
translate information into consumer-friendly language, it
misses the mark. The complicated medical terminology must
be translated into a simplified explanation of how the drug
works. A patient-friendly illustration would also help.
Click
here to read why "Consumers Call for Clarity in DTC Ads".
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MARKETING TIP
DTC and patient communications
must be treated differently than medical communications.
Special attention must
be given to the application of specialized health literacy
and behavior modification techniques.
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EFFECTIVE MESSAGES
REQUIRE EXPERTISE IN PATIENT COMMUNICATIONS
Developing messages for
consumers and patients on medications requires a very specialized
blending of medical information, regulatory requirements,
marketing techniques, health literacy principles, patient
compliance strategies, and behavior modification techniques
... then translating everything into language the average
consumer can understand ... and reinforcing it with an effective
"patient-friendly" design.
Even though a DTC campaign
or a patient information program has met all the requirements
of the company's clinical, marketing, legal and regulatory
teams as well as the FDA regulations, it can NEVER be maximally
effective if the consumer does not understand the information.
Consumer Health Information
Corporation's experts in patient compliance and consumer behavior
know how to develop "consumer-friendly" materials that motivate
patients to take the medication correctly. Only then can the
product fulfill its potential.
Click
here to see why we're unique!
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MARKETING TIP
As many as 30% of
all refillable prescriptions go unfilled. But product
managers who tie their DTC campaigns to both the initial
prescription and the refill prescriptions are seeing
a dramatic increase in overall sales.
That is why it is
important to convince the patient to take your product
over the long term. Link your DTC strategy to an overall
patient compliance program. Ensure that patients receive
the full benefit of your medication, and that the product
achieves its maximum ROI.
Click
here to read why prescription refills are more important
than initial prescriptions to your bottom line.
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To request permission
to reprint any of this information, click
here.
If you have questions or would like
more information on how to increase patient compliance with
your product, please click
here or call (703) 734-0650.
If you want to sign up a colleague
to receive this regular briefing, please complete the request
form.
Copyright ©2001 Consumer
Health Information Corporation. All rights reserved.
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