Transcript Development of Consumer Education Products Focusing on

Development of Consumer
Education Products Focusing on
Safe Medication Disposal
Wm. Ray Bullman
National Council on Patient Information and Education
Bethesda, MD
November 1, 2007
With Media Friends Like This...
“Give Your Meds A Checkup” (PARADE MAGAZINE, Sept. 30, 2007)
Store your medicines in a cool, dark and dry place—a bedside
table or a shelf in a closet—and examine them at least once a
year.
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Look at expiration dates & toss any medicines past their prime.
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Throw out medications that have changed color, formed a residue or
developed a peculiar odor.
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Pitch any pills that seem crumbly or capsules that have opened.
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Discard any drugs with a missing or unreadable label on the bottle.
Reaching Consumers about
Proper Medicine Disposal
Targets (Potential)

Every American household
Every Older Adult – take the most medicines
Every Parent – take/administer medicines
Every Caregiver – help support safe Rx use
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Every Child (age 12+)
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Reaching Healthcare Providers
about Proper Medicine Disposal
Targets (Potential)
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Every Prescriber (MD, PA, NP, DDS)
Every Pharmacist
Every Hospital Discharge Planner
Every Health Educator
Reaching the Media about Proper
Medicine Disposal
Targets (Potential)

Every Newspaper (daily, weekly)
Every Consumer Magazine (@ every check stand)
Every Cable and Broadcast TV Station in prime time
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Every Radio Station during drive time
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Reaching Consumers about
Proper Medicine Disposal
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In Multiple Languages
On a Regular Basis
With the Same messages
High Impact Starting Points (?)
Reaching Consumers about Proper Medicine Disposal (point of
prescribing)
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Two out of three physician visits (66%) result in a prescription
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> Six out of 10 consumers (61%) said that physicians are their
most trusted source for medication information, followed by
pharmacists and online medical sites (16% &13%, respectively).*
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Nearly one-quarter (22%) of all respondents said that they learn
about medications from pharmaceutical company-sponsored
websites.*
(*Accenture online & telephone survey, Jan. 2006)
High Impact Starting Points (?)
Reaching Consumers about Proper Medicine
Disposal (point of dispensing)
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3.4 billion prescriptions written / dispensed in 2006
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Nearly 100% of Rxs dispensed by retail pharmacies
& mail order include written information about the Rx
(Consumer Medicine Information or CMI)
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Proper disposal not routinely included in CMI or
Medication Guides
Mounting a Proper Disposal
Communications Campaign
The Need to Keep In Mind

No public health issue has unlimited resources to
create public / provider awareness
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There will always be competing issues & they are
equally as important to those promoting them as
proper disposal is to us
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It’s not a sprint - - it’s more like a marathon (one effort
won’t get the job done...)
Rationales (Drivers) for a Proper
Disposal Campaign
1. To curtail childhood overdoses
2. To restrict household drug theft
3. To limit accumulation of drugs by the elderly
4. To protect our physical environment
5. To restrain improper international drug donations
6. To eliminate waste in the international health care
systems of all countries
(The Athens Declaration, August 3, 2007)
Enlisting Stakeholders
Differing Mandates / Shared Concern
1. To curtail childhood overdoses – SAMHSA, NIDA, DARE
2. To restrict household drug theft – Law Enforcement
3. To limit accumulation of drugs by the elderly – Senior Groups,
Caregiver Orgs.
4. To protect our physical environment – EPA, Sierra Club
5. To restrain improper international drug donations – Red Cross
6. To eliminate waste in the international health care systems of all
countries – Insurers
(The Athens Declaration, August 3, 2007)
Campaign Objectives and
Messages
With the ultimate goal of protecting consumers and
the environment from the risks associated with
improper/ unsafe disposal of pharmaceuticals, the
objectives of this broad-based public education
campaign are to:
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Build awareness that........
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Promote understanding about proper disposal........
Campaign Objectives and
Messages
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Generate extensive national and local media
attention to elevate the proper disposal of medicine
as an ongoing public health issue........
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Engage key stakeholders - - physicians, nurses,
pharmacists, the pharmaceutical industry, and public
health officials -- about the importance of educating
patients and caregivers about the proper disposal of
medicines........
Front-End Loading:
Conducting Survey Research
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What does the public think and know about proper
medicine disposal? (knowledge, attitudes, practices)
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What do healthcare providers think and know about
proper medicine disposal?
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What do healthcare providers think their patients
think, know, and practice related to proper disposal?
New Web Site
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Recognizing the importance of the Internet as a
source of credible health information, ___?____
could create a virtual information center on the
proper disposal of medicines through the launch of a
new web site.
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The site could provide solutions-oriented information
and downloadable materials to help consumers
recognize / understand the extent of the problem /
issues and key questions they should ask to promote
appropriate use and proper disposal of medicines.
Campaign Launch Materials
Press Kit
Used to launch the new public education campaign.
The kit could be available in printed and electronic
form and will include:
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A lead release summarizing the survey findings and
calling for a national mobilization to educate
Americans about proper medicine disposal.
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An executive summary of the survey findings along
with attention-getting charts and graphs.
Campaign Launch Materials
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A backgrounder on the impact on health and the
environment on improper disposal of medicines; and
implications for public health.
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A facts-at-a-glance list of statistics about extent of
medicines in the marketplace; how many Americans
use medicines, how much medicine is disposed of
(and how).
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A glossary of key terms.
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A fact sheet about __?____ (lead organization or
coalition members mounting campaign).
The Campaign
___?____ will take the following steps to get the
campaign underway and to provide the foundation
for ongoing education.
1.
Launch News Conference
To put the issue of proper medicine disposal before
the public, the goal could be to officially launch the
new public education campaign at a news
conference in (location).
The Campaign
2.
Launch Media Relations
Following kickoff press conference, __?___could extend the
reach and impact of the news about the campaign by:
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Issuing the lead news release about survey findings over the
Press Relations Wire;
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Following the wire announcement by mailing the press kit to
print and broadcast outlets nationwide;
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Contacting morning network news shows and syndicated talk
shows to schedule appearances for the campaign
spokespersons.
The Campaign
ASAP after the kickoff, __?___ could generate
additional publicity by:
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Producing/distributing a video news release (VNR)
that will be sent to television stations nationwide for
use on their news programs;
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Conducting a satellite media tour where __?___
officials could be interviewed on TV network news
programs and by top stations in the 20 major media
markets.
Campaign Action Kit
Various stakeholders have resources to extend impact of
the campaign. _?___ could produce a campaign action kit.
The kit could summarize latest information about need for
proper disposal and provide materials that can be used
both internally and in outreach programs. These materials
could include:
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Key messages and talking points about the campaign;
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A sample news release about the campaign with quotes
that could be attributed to the member group;
Campaign Action Kit
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A sample newspaper column and editorial;
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Scripts for public service announcements;
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A PowerPoint presentation that can be presented
to the organization’s membership and used in
education;
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Reproducible education materials;
Taking an Active Role in the
Campaign
Stakeholder groups could be invited to take an
active role in the campaign by:
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Attending / participating in kick-off news
conference;
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Placing campaign announcements (and coverage
of survey findings) in newsletters, magazines, or
journals;
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Granting access to spokesperson(s) who can
provide supportive quotes for print & electronic
media (press releases, VNRs, letter to editors);
Taking an Active Role in the
Campaign
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Promoting availability of campaign materials in their
publications, and/or distribution of these materials to
their members & key organizational contacts;
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Including a proper medicine disposal session in
annual (or other major) meeting(s);
Taking an Active Role in the
Campaign
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Displaying campaign materials at the exhibits of their
major meetings.
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Placing a link to the campaign web site from their
web site.
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For stakeholders who produce patient information,
incorporating campaign messages directly in patient
materials, such as patient leaflets and package
labeling, product specific-web sites, etc.
Ongoing Media Relations
A.
Newspaper Columns
To extend the reach and impact the public
awareness campaign, ___?___ could produce and
distribute a series of camera-ready newspaper
columns.
Intended for use by daily and weekly suburban
newspapers, each column would focus on a major
topic related to the safe use and proper disposal of
medicines and would promote the new web site.
Ongoing Media Relations
B.
Editorial Briefing
Because so many of the leading consumer and
health magazines are based in New York, __?__
could follow the launch press conference by
scheduling a briefing with editors/reporters of these
publications in New York.
Ongoing Media Relations
C.
Television/Radio Talk Show Placements
On an ongoing basis, __?___could work to
schedule interviews for campaign spokespersons on top-rated syndicated radio and
television talk shows. Key targets will include:
The Diane Rheam Show (NPR), Live with Regis
and Kelly, Oprah, Dateline NBC, and 20/20.
Ongoing Media Relations
D.
Morning Drive Radio Tour
__?___could communicate the message or proper
medicine use and disposal by conducting a morning
drive radio tour. Through this “tour,” approximately
20 morning drive radio hosts across the country will
interview a __?___ spokesperson in one morning.
The estimated audience for this “tour” is between 5
million and 10 million listeners.
National Public Service
Advertising Campaign
__?___could create a new round of public attention for
its messages by launching a new public service
advertising campaign. __?___ could create an attentiongetting 30-second television PSA that could feature a
well-known personality such as: __TBD_____.
Besides communicating the importance of proper
disposal, the PSA would promote the new web site as a
source for helpful information.
Maximizing the PSA Campaign
To maximize media coverage for the PSA campaign,
__?___ could complement the news briefing by:
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Preparing/distributing a news release over the Press
Relations Wire announcing the new PSA campaign;
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Mailing the news release, the story board and supporting
material from the press kit to the media distribution list;
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Distributing a feature Video News Release (VNR) that uses
the new PSA as the focus;
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Putting the PSA on the web site for viewing by consumers
and health professionals.
PSA Distribution
To generate widespread pick up for the PSA,
__?___could distribute the PSA and supporting
information to public service directors of the national
television networks and stations in the top media
markets.
__?___could also receive regular reports of the
networks/stations that air the spot and the estimated
audience.
Campaign Evaluation
___?__could use survey as baseline with the goal of
conducting additional research at end of this campaign. If
additional grant support becomes available, __?___could
conduct a post evaluation to examine the extent to which:
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Consumer attitudes may have changed about the
perceived risks to human health and the environment from
improper disposal of medicines;
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Prescribers have incorporated proper medicine disposal
into their communications with patients/caregivers;
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Other key stakeholder messaging has addressed proper
disposal of medicines (e.g., pharmacists/pharmacies,
pharma industry).
Campaign Evaluation
In the interim, __?___could track media coverage and the
consumer impressions generated by the campaign on the
basis of these quantitative and qualitative measurements:
Quantitative Measures
-- How many stories/articles resulted from the public
education program;
-- How many consumers were reached;
-- How many hits register on the new web site;
-- How many networks/stations air / commit to air
campaign PSAs.
Campaign Evaluation
Qualitative Measures
-- How effectively were __?__’s messages communicated?
-- What were the primary messages communicated through
the media?
-- How was __?___ / the campaign portrayed?
Questions / Discussion
Contact Information
Ray Bullman
Executive Vice President
National Council on Patient Information and Education
4915 Saint Elmo Ave., Suite 505
Bethesda, MD 20814-6082
[email protected] – email
(301) 656-8565 – phone
(301) 656-4464 – fax
www.talkaboutrx.org
www.mustforseniors.org
www.bemedwise.org