Patient + Education Does Not = Compliant Patient
Cathy Fink
It might seem counter-intuitive for someone in the patient education business to say that too much information can be the enemy of compliance, but all too often that is the case. As marketers, we believe that an educated consumer makes the best patient and by extension, providing patients with good information will inevitably lead to better outcomes.
But with all the information readily available to patients on the Web, it is more important than ever to develop education that acknowledges a patient's need to take ownership of their condition. A sense of some control, after all, is the key to compliance. This means taking a more sophisticated/customizable approach to patient education - one that puts the flow of information in patient's hands, ideally supported by physician education that runs on a parallel track.
Any diagnosis, especially that of a chronic disease, requires a huge shift in one's perception of oneself. Even if the diagnosis initially comes as a relief, none of us wants to accept the fact that we may be unwell or aging. As we ask people to go through that process, we have to do it in a way that makes sense to them and acknowledges their reluctance to view themselves in a different light.
Regardless of the stated goal of a patient communications program, on some level we as marketers are also asking a patient to change their behavior. But creating behavioral change is a process and to be effective, it needs to have elements that enable the individual to feel that they are in control of their condition, with compliance as evidence of that control.
An effective program is one that includes messaging to support each of five fundamental steps that are part of successful behavioral change: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. By acknowledging a patient's ambivalence to changing their own behavior, we take the first step in helping them to "own themselves, rather than ceding ownership to the disease." (Dana Jennings, NY Times blog, October 13, 2009)
And the end of the day that is what we all want.
Posted by: mark.davis@gcihealth.com
February-15-2011
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