Development of Consumer Education Products Focusing on Safe Medication Disposal : 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... : 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.
Look at expiration dates & toss any medicines past their prime.
Throw out medications that have changed color, formed a residue or developed a peculiar odor.
Pitch any pills that seem crumbly or capsules that have opened.
Discard any drugs with a missing or unreadable label on the bottle.
Reaching Consumers about Proper Medicine Disposal : 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
Every Child (age 12+)
Reaching Healthcare Providers about Proper Medicine Disposal : Reaching Healthcare Providers about Proper Medicine Disposal Targets (Potential)
Every Prescriber (MD, PA, NP, DDS)
Every Pharmacist
Every Hospital Discharge Planner
Every Health Educator
Reaching the Media about Proper Medicine Disposal : 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
Every Radio Station during drive time
Reaching Consumers about Proper Medicine Disposal : Reaching Consumers about Proper Medicine Disposal
In Multiple Languages
On a Regular Basis
With the Same messages
High Impact Starting Points (?) : High Impact Starting Points (?) Reaching Consumers about Proper Medicine Disposal (point of prescribing)
Two out of three physician visits (66%) result in a prescription
> 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).*
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 (?) : High Impact Starting Points (?) Reaching Consumers about Proper Medicine Disposal (point of dispensing)
3.4 billion prescriptions written / dispensed in 2006
Nearly 100% of Rxs dispensed by retail pharmacies & mail order include written information about the Rx (Consumer Medicine Information or CMI)
Proper disposal not routinely included in CMI or Medication Guides
Mounting a Proper Disposal Communications Campaign : Mounting a Proper Disposal Communications Campaign The Need to Keep In Mind
No public health issue has unlimited resources to create public / provider awareness
There will always be competing issues & they are equally as important to those promoting them as proper disposal is to us
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 : 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 : 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 : 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:
Build awareness that........
Promote understanding about proper disposal........
Campaign Objectives and Messages : Campaign Objectives and Messages
Generate extensive national and local media attention to elevate the proper disposal of medicine as an ongoing public health issue........
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 : Front-End Loading: Conducting Survey Research What does the public think and know about proper medicine disposal? (knowledge, attitudes, practices)
What do healthcare providers think and know about proper medicine disposal?
What do healthcare providers think their patients think, know, and practice related to proper disposal?
New Web Site : New Web Site 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.
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 : 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:
A lead release summarizing the survey findings and calling for a national mobilization to educate Americans about proper medicine disposal.
An executive summary of the survey findings along with attention-getting charts and graphs.
Campaign Launch Materials : Campaign Launch Materials A backgrounder on the impact on health and the environment on improper disposal of medicines; and implications for public health.
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).
A glossary of key terms.
A fact sheet about __?____ (lead organization or coalition members mounting campaign).
The 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 : The Campaign 2. Launch Media Relations
Following kickoff press conference, __?___could extend the reach and impact of the news about the campaign by:
Issuing the lead news release about survey findings over the Press Relations Wire;
Following the wire announcement by mailing the press kit to print and broadcast outlets nationwide;
Contacting morning network news shows and syndicated talk shows to schedule appearances for the campaign spokespersons.
The Campaign : The Campaign ASAP after the kickoff, __?___ could generate additional publicity by:
Producing/distributing a video news release (VNR) that will be sent to television stations nationwide for use on their news programs;
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 : 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:
Key messages and talking points about the campaign;
A sample news release about the campaign with quotes that could be attributed to the member group;
Campaign Action Kit : Campaign Action Kit
A sample newspaper column and editorial;
Scripts for public service announcements;
A PowerPoint presentation that can be presented to the organization’s membership and used in education;
Reproducible education materials;
Taking an Active Role in the Campaign : Taking an Active Role in the Campaign Stakeholder groups could be invited to take an active role in the campaign by:
Attending / participating in kick-off news conference;
Placing campaign announcements (and coverage of survey findings) in newsletters, magazines, or journals;
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 : Taking an Active Role in the Campaign Promoting availability of campaign materials in their publications, and/or distribution of these materials to their members & key organizational contacts;
Including a proper medicine disposal session in annual (or other major) meeting(s);
Taking an Active Role in the Campaign : Taking an Active Role in the Campaign Displaying campaign materials at the exhibits of their major meetings.
Placing a link to the campaign web site from their web site.
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 : 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 : 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 : Ongoing Media Relations C. Television/Radio Talk Show Placements
On an ongoing basis, __?___could work to schedule interviews for campaign spokes-persons 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 : 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 : 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 attention-getting 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 : Maximizing the PSA Campaign To maximize media coverage for the PSA campaign, __?___ could complement the news briefing by:
Preparing/distributing a news release over the Press Relations Wire announcing the new PSA campaign;
Mailing the news release, the story board and supporting material from the press kit to the media distribution list;
Distributing a feature Video News Release (VNR) that uses the new PSA as the focus;
Putting the PSA on the web site for viewing by consumers and health professionals.
PSA Distribution : 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 : 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:
Consumer attitudes may have changed about the perceived risks to human health and the environment from improper disposal of medicines;
Prescribers have incorporated proper medicine disposal into their communications with patients/caregivers;
Other key stakeholder messaging has addressed proper disposal of medicines (e.g., pharmacists/pharmacies, pharma industry).
Campaign Evaluation : 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 : 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 : Questions / Discussion
Contact Information : Contact Information Ray Bullman
Executive Vice President
National Council on Patient Information and Education
4915 Saint Elmo Ave., Suite 505
Bethesda, MD 20814-6082
bullman@ncpie.info – email
(301) 656-8565 – phone
(301) 656-4464 – fax
www.talkaboutrx.org
www.mustforseniors.org
www.bemedwise.org