 Michelle Ubben |
Establish yourself as a trusted source
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Consumers are increasingly taking medical research into their own hands, with both positive and negative implications. According to a July 2015 report in The Telegraph, one in four attempt to self-diagnose their ailments using Internet-based research. Sites such as WebMD, though useful, can lead people to hasty and incorrect conclusions about their health. Less credible web sources can drive people to dangerous healthcare choices. Message boards, in particular, can induce anxiety in people as they read story after story from patients with negative or adverse experiences.
Healthcare providers can mitigate these negative online-driven effects by asking patients about their own knowledge and research, and taking the time to listen to their conclusions and findings. Specifically, ask about their information sources and get familiar with these websites to better understand where patients are coming from on any given topic. While you may not be able to compete with a website’s reach, you can leverage the advantage of being a known entity and having personal or corporate credibility. So, the information you provide, be it by website, social media, in person or in print, can have greater weight than information from unverified sources.
Consider establishing your own online presence — whether through a site, blog, social media or podcast — where you feel comfortable sharing expert information. This can be done without violating HIPAA by not disclosing personal health information about specific patients and by not directly prescribing solutions to readers’ issues.
Engage in the art of storytelling
With chronic diseases accounting for 86 percent of American healthcare costs and one in seven deaths, finding communications strategies that work to promote health literacy and positive behavior change is a national imperative. Fortunately, there have never been more communications tools at our disposal, but the best delivery system is only as good as the story you have to tell.
Storytelling is as old as humanity itself, and like a bestselling novel or blockbuster movie, your story must create suspense and provoke emotion.
First, consider the protagonist. Often, the most compelling messenger of a health tale is not the medical expert, but the patient. People will learn from the experiences of another person who overcame obesity, quit smoking, beat cancer or figured out how to overcome a sedentary lifestyle. Next, remember the plot. Like a blockbuster movie, a personal health tale should have dramatic suspense, a seemingly unconquerable problem and satisfying resolution, rising and falling action.
How a story is told makes all the difference. As health communicators, one of the greatest skills we can apply to promote health literacy is to help everyday people tell their stories in ways that reveal them to be the heroes and heroines of their own lives. In that way, they become an inspiration and catalyst to others.
Meet people where they are
Nothing beats face-to-face communication, and the office visit remains the primary teaching moment. Besides being an opportunity for individual counsel from a healthcare provider, the office visit is a time to enhance health literacy through traditional means, such a pamphlet or video, and with newer tools for staying connected. It’s a perfect moment to engage patients in lasting ways, such as encouraging them to follow a Facebook page dedicated to managing a disease state or overcoming a lifestyle problem. Use it to encourage patients to download a health literacy app.
Speaking of social media, don’t assume that this is merely the domain of the young. People 55 and older are the fastest growing demographic on Facebook and, unlike younger users, they’re more likely to pay attention to expert information and are willing to spend more time with content.
Videos shared through Facebook should focus on the visuals over the audio. Most users never unmute Facebook videos — which are muted by default — so including easy-to-read captions is a must to get your point across. While Facebook remains the dominant social sharing platform, don’t overlook other channels like Pinterest, Instagram and even Snapchat, particularly if you’re trying to reach a younger audience.
One size doesn’t fit all
America’s population is increasingly diverse, which demands culturally sensitive and appropriate communications strategies.
Racial and ethnic minorities, who will comprise almost half of the total population by 2050, are disproportionately affected by chronic disease. According to a Georgetown University study, of the 37 million American adults who speak a language other than English, nearly half speak English less than “very well.”
Latinos who speak Spanish rather than English are less likely to visit a physician or mental health provider, get preventive care such as a mammogram or get vaccinated. Problems with language comprehension can also lead to poorer adherence to treatment protocols and lower health literacy.
Effective intervention requires communicating in a way that’s relevant and understandable to the listener. Translating materials into other languages and using plain language and culturally appropriate idioms can help. Medical jargon can be a particular impediment to understanding when language differences are an issue. The healthcare industry is notorious for an overabundance of jargon, and many consumers tune out when confronted with unclear terminology. Additionally, consumers are more inclined to make positive choices when they understand the true risks and rewards of any course of action.
Video can be a particularly helpful tool for overcoming language and cultural barriers, particularly if an appropriate spokesperson is enlisted as a messenger. Delivering information through a medical professional is not nearly as important as finding a messenger who can connect with and be viewed as credible and comprehensible by the target audience.
Effective communication is a powerful tool to promote public and personal health, and there are more ways than ever to package and share critical health information.
By communicating clearly and in ways that resonate with specific target audiences, we can dramatically improve health literacy and positively influence lifestyle choices that reduce chronic disease.
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Michelle Ubben is Partner and COO at Sachs Media Group.
Lo Isidro, senior director at Real Chemistry with more than a decade of strategic communications and PA experience, has joined Narrative Strategies.
Nelson Fernandez, former North American chair of APCO Worldwide and managing director of Burson-Marsteller, has joined Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires as director of communications and PA.
Lilit Bargar, who was most recently an EVP in the healthcare practice at Weber Shandwick, comes on board at GCI Health as EVP, corporate practice lead.
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