Ageing populations, and spiralling health care costs, have led to a growing importance on patient self-management and preventative health. Yet, every day, we are bombarded with health messages in the media - many of which appear to contradict each other.

The average person now sees more information in one day than their counterpart saw in their entire lifetime- at the turn of the last century. In the 1970's this amounted to around 500 messages a day while, today, this is nearer to 3000.

The explosion of health information on the internet has contributed significantly to this confusion.  An online search is likely to return millions of pages - many of which come from unregulated sources.

The challenge, therefore, is to make good quality health information available to consumers, when they need it - and where they can find it.

 

 

Evidence shows that patients far more likely to take their medications, and follow a treatment plan, if they get the information they need.

But there is no point producing great looking health information, if the reader can neither understand it, or act upon the messages it contains.

In order to influence patient behaviour you need, first, to understand the psychology behind their decision making process, before you can identify the barriers to effective communication.

 

 

Historically, the doctor and patient relationship has always been paternalistic in nature i.e. the doctor knows best.

Today we recognise that patients need to be involved in the decision making process, if they are to take control of their own health and self-manage their own conditions.

Where compliance was once expected, concordance and adherence are now very much part of the new, patient-centred, partnerships the health care providers now prefer to employ.

 

 

80% of patients will become noncompliant at some time, during their first year of treatment - and 50% of those on long-term treatments will stop taking the medication altogether - within the first 6 months.

Noncompliance patients cost the health services five times more to treat than their counterparts - and this is estimated to cost the NHS in excess of £1 billion every year, in extra treatment.

The cost to the global pharmaceutical industry is also estimated at over $30 billion every year.

The challenge, therefore, is to maximise the use of the medications already prescribed, and to involve patients in self-managing their own treatment plans more effectively.

 

 

 

Evidence shows that nearly 40% of the population still have difficulty reading basic health information - and understanding simple health concepts.

They also lack the social skills they need to question the doctor effectively - or interpret the information they have been given.

Evidence also shows that when patients do get the information they need, they are far more willing to take responsibility for their own health.

 

 

Evidence shows that while most people scan information online, they still prefer to read print.

In a recent survey of members by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, 90%  of respondents said they still preferred to receive their regular Newletter in a printed form - rather than online.

So if the professionals won't read them - why do we expect everyone else to?

We also know that patients with low health literacy are far less likely to go online - so digital technologies will very often miss the very people they need to target most.

Yet most of these will pass through the doctor's door at sometime during the year,  and we already know that most of them still prefer to get their health information direct from the doctor - at the point of care.