The office for National Statistics recently produced Social Trends 40, an account marking 40 years of social reporting in the UK. The report contains five previously unpublished chapters of statistics and analysis including health. Editor, Matthew Hughes commented, “The UK and the world are very different places now compared to 40 years ago”. This is apparent in the changing health of the nation:

• Life expectancy at birth in the UK has risen more than 30% since 1901.
• In 2008 21% of males and 14% of females aged 16+ drank more than double the recommended daily allowance at least once a week.
• The proportion of adults in England classified as obese rose from 16% to 25% between 1994 and 2006.

The full report can be downloaded at www.statistics.gov.uk/socialtrends.

This week’s edition of PR week displayed results of a NHS reputation survey conducted by OnePoll. The following figures support PR Weeks comments, “When it comes to the NHS as an institution, it seems the bad press it regularly experiences has taken a toll”:

• 80% of respondents said the government should not abolish all NHS Targets
• 73% believe cutting costs was the motivation behind scrapping the four hour A & E waiting target.
• 69% said GP surgeries should be open outside normal office hours.
• 58% agreed that NHS healthcare is better than healthcare in other countries, 17% said it was worse.
• 32% think that private care is better than that received on the NHS, and 7% thought the NHS to be better.
• Spending cuts leading to reduced quality healthcare, followed by hospital based infections were listed as the highest concerns about the NHS.

For further information visit: http://www.prweek.com/

The IDS UK office is buzzing with excitement and anticipation, The 2010 World Cup is finally here! Not only does it make good viewing, but it also encourages us to actually take part and start kicking a football around. With benefits including improvements to general health, stamina, weight management and mental health surely there can’t be negative impact to the health of our nation?

In recent weeks the press have reported that The World Cup will result in number of health hazards at home and away. Named by one blogger as “The 2010 World Cup’s Biggest Threat”, HIV and the spread of AIDs has been well publicised. With 5.2 million in South Africa living with HIV and AIDs, half a million visitors and 40,000 call girls it is vitally important that sport fans look after themselves by using condoms. Other health concerns whilst playing away, include food-poisoning, measles, tick bites and flu. Finally, fans travelling to South Africa will have to face the Vuvuzela horn, which as part of the local culture is commonly heard at football games. At 127 decibels it cause permanent hearing impairment, and has resulted in football fans being urged to use ear-plugs and ear-muffs.

If all this wasn’t enough dangers also await those fans enjoying the games at home. The Terrence Higgins Trust has reported that nearly one in 10 people aged 18-34 in the UK drink so much whilst watching sport that they cannot remember what they did afterwards. Again, it seems the World Cup is putting sexual health at risk. Children have not been left out of the ‘horrors’ of the tournament, The World Cancer Research Fund have urged parent to promote healthy eating to their children whist games are on, as the sponsors include MacDonald’s and Coca Cola.

Ok, so now I’m not quite so caught up in the excitement of it all. However, all this does prove one thing: the benefits of health education really can’t be underestimated. Armed with the correct information football fans can avoid all these risks, and might even benefit from the health improvements that can be gained from the game!

The Vuvuzela Horn - Puts Hearing At Risk

I am an avid believer that despite living in a ‘digital age’, the printed word has great benefits when it comes to healthcare messages. A printed message is relatively permanent; it can be retained and readily passed on to others without distortion. Printed information on topics considered embarrassing can be easily hidden and read in private. Importantly, printed information on healthcare (such as the leaflets found in IDS racks) can be used within consultations with healthcare professionals, and encourage patients to voice their concerns.

With printed information having such great benefits why did IDS decide to launch digital signage in over 500 sites? Well, healthcare leaflets are hugely beneficial, but they do need to be picked up. To aid pick up IDS install their own racks in prime healthcare locations – the racks are positioned where patients will see and use them. We also provide guidance on leaflet design including advice regarding the front cover (see blog dated 13th April). Despite all this it was thought that we could do more and digital signage was launched.

The screens, which are located in GP surgery waiting rooms display electronic posters encouraging leaflet pick-up. To ensure the screens are used by surgeries, the surgeries manage the content themselves. To ensure the screens are used by the patients, they additionally act as a patient calling system. Keeping this all in mind a leafleting campaign combined with digital signage can be very effective and provide greater return on investment.

HFEA Digital Campaign

85% of the UK Not worried About Their Health

Using information gained from 20,000 respondents surveyed within 11 European countries a Reader’s Digest report named, ‘A Picture of Health’ looks at how patients treat their illnesses and ailments, the source of information they rely on and the steps they take to maintain health.

The study highlights that in the UK:

• A staggering 85% say they’re not really worried about their health, with only the Dutch seemingly
more laid back at 93%.
• 74% believe they are well or very well informed of health conditions and treatments.
• 47% use leaflets within GP surgeries and 60% trust this source.
• 34% state leaflets in GP surgeries as their most used source of health information.
• 50% use leaflets within GP pharmacies and 61% trust this source.
• 30% state leaflets in pharmacies as their most used source of health information.

IDS UK were pleased (although not surprised!) that the study confirms that leaflets within GP surgeries and pharmacies are a well used and trusted source of patient information.

A copy of the study can be downloaded from http://www.rdeuropehealth.com/health/

60% Trust Leaflets Found Within GP Surgeries

You may remember last months healthcare news included headlines such as “Minor Ailments Costing NHS £2bn A Year”. The articles which related to a letter to The Times detailed 51.4 million unnecessary consultations each year and common conditions accounting for one fifth of GP appointments. The conclusion: self-care and a shift in behaviour around treating minor ailments could save the NHS money without making cuts.

IDS UK has for many years advocated the benefits of patient education, and has seen that patient self care materials including leaflets and posters prove very popular. Good examples of such materials include Nurofen’s leaflet, “A Parent’s Guide To Coping With Everyday Childhood Illness”, which provides basic information about common illness and directs parents to seek medical advice when necessary; and “Take Control of Your Cholesterol” a Benecol leaflet encouraging healthy lifestyle changes.

The articles caused little surprise at IDS as the need for patient education literature makes a constant appearance in surgery and patient feedback. IDS UK is able to provide advice on the design and copy of such literature, and is able to effectively distribute it so it reaches the intended recipients. Let’s hope that the Self Care Campaign that has been launched as a result of the original letter is able free up surgery staff to concentrate on complex conditions. We would like to think that IDS UK already helps to do this.

I hope that you all had an enjoyable Easter and are suitably fed up (or should that be full up?) of chocolate. The recent sunny spell has ensured that we are a happy bunch at IDS, where we are busy helping our clients to advertise within GP surgeries and pharmacies.

We are often asked at IDS how to increase the effectiveness of advertising in GP / doctor surgeries and pharmacies. Well, fundamentally this comes down to two things: How the advertising is going to reach the GP surgery/pharmacy and the design used.

Reaching the surgery/pharmacy is easy – once your utilise the services of IDS UK of course! So I thought it may of interest to some of you to summarise how to improve the design of leaflets intended for healthcare environments.

Guidelines for Advertising in GP Waiting Rooms

• Consumers look for more information and less imagery once in the GP waiting room. Material should be presented to consider the healthcare condition, not just the product.

• A leaflet front cover is a product’s billboard – it needs to attract attention and engage the consumer; if not, content becomes academic.

• Pictures can be effective but more important is a title or headline, which immediately connects. This should be visible from a distance of 3-5m.

• Titles in the form of a question have proven successful whatever the category – “Are you…?; “Do you…?”, “Would you…?” type questions prompt an internal consumer response.

• Use of colour is important and the typeface should be bold and easily read; often a patient sees the leaflet from a distance first and is then drawn to it – clarity should always be the goal.

• Inside copy should be clearly written, lacking in jargon and always addressed from the patient’s perspective.

• Overall, content should be as complete as possible while still allowing for a “call to action”.

I hope that this is of interest and provides some points for consideration when at the crucial design stage. Leaflet pick up has shown us frequently that following these tips really does work.

IDS helps you get your advertising in to GP surgeries, but once there how can you ensure it's effective?

As you may be aware from my previous blog IDS UK is very busy at the moment with preparations well and truly underway for displaying leaflets and posters in GP surgery waiting rooms, pharmacies and via leaflets2u.co.uk. With our second cycle of the year fast approaching the whole office is busy – a lot of hard work goes behind the well stocked display’s that are often taken for granted in your local surgery or pharmacy!

In my last blog I recommended a recent Google report that highlighted how healthcare professionals use the internet to aid clinical practice, in conflict to this the first UK study of how GPs respond to printout-wielding patients shows how online information can have a negative effect. Published in The British Journal of General Practice the study concluded that GPs use cognitive and behavioral techniques to deal with their negative responses to patient armed with internet printouts. One GP admitted to a “heart beat moment” when faced with patients quoting information from the web, and another said that they experienced a “sense of doom” when patients arrived armed with print outs.

Here at IDS this caused some degree of surprise, as great believers of recruiting un-diagnosed patients and the importance of patient awareness we know the benefits of the informed patient. During a much deserve IDS coffee break it was concluded that perhaps it was more the type of information that was being brought into the consultation room that caused concern. Patients downloading information from untrusted websites may well prove a source of anxiety for GPs. The leaflets displayed in IDS racks, and via our leaflets2u.co.uk site are subject to strict guidelines and regulations – unlike information on the internet.. Feedback from GPs on our service shows that they appreciate the information featured in the leaflets we bring to their waiting room, and that their consultations benefit. Before returning to our desks it was decided that although some patient information may be a source of stress for GPs the information.

Congratulations to our French office, IDS Sante who have confirmed a pharmaceutical vaccination campaign for €425,000 for 2010. With more activity planned for the year it is thought the final figure will out do the 2009 contract worth €480,000. The services that IDS can offer are ideally suited to such vaccination based campaigns.

Every year thousands of vaccination leaflets are sent to GP surgeries, but do not reach the intended destination. IDS UK can ensure that every leaflet is prominently displayed in the waiting room, in a wall mounted rack designed for that purpose. Additionally we can display posters and distribute healthcare professional packs, ensuring a compressive campaign that reaches its target markets.

Talking of vaccinations, good luck to Oscar (son to our Online Development Manager) who is due for his 3 month baby jabs – hope all goes well!

Oscar Prepares for his baby jabs

I hope you are all enjoying the short bursts of sunshine and the promise of spring. Here at IDS we are busy preparing for our April cycle and looking forward to displaying new leaflet titles in GP surgeries, pharmacies and online. Speaking of online activity, the Google study, “Connecting with Physicians Online” (November 2009) has been doing the rounds at the IDS UK offices.

The report that concluded that the internet is an integral part of clinical practice, although covered American physicians provides useful information on how healthcare professionals use the web. The report found that:

• 86% have used the internet to gather health, medical, or prescription drug information.
• 58% access the internet more than once a day.
• 31% made a change in a patient’s medication as a result of online research
• 30% initiated treatment as a result of online research.
• 73% Consider the internet to be a standard part of clinical practice

The report which confirms what most of us had already guessed, “The internet…has transformed medical practice” proves an interesting read and is worth a look – just search using the report title.