# Presentation: 174193

## Patient Communications

**Presented by:  **
**Carol Rothkopf****December 7, 2005**

## Focus of Presentation

**Research demonstrates the need to improve patient communications and the need for more information materials that are easier for patients to understand and act upon.**

## Doctor-Patient Communication

**The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) reports...**

- Source:  Pharmaceutical Executive, September 2005

**Half of all patients forget verbal information communicated by their physicians.**
**Almost two-thirds (60%) are unable to report precisely what they were advised to do – even one hour after leaving a doctor’s office.**
**Only 35% of patients receive instructions from their physicians on how to take medication.**

## Prescription Drug Compliance in the U.S. 

**Of the 63% of adults who were prescribed prescription drugs in the past year, 33% did not take their medications as prescribed, according to Harris Interactive.**

- Source:  Harris Interactive for the WSJ Online’s health industry edition, Pharmaceutical Executive, May 2005

## Prescription Drug Compliance in the U.S.

**Initial Prescriptions/Refills...**
**Between 10% to 20% of patients do not get the initial prescription filled because the physician has not convinced them why they need to take it.**
**30% to 85% of patients may disregard refills, depending on the disease and treatment regimen.**
**Cost of Noncompliance...**
**Up to 20% of hospital and nursing home admissions and 125,000 deaths annually are attributable to noncompliance.**

- Source:  Cutting Edge Information, Pharmaceutical Patient Compliance and Disease Management, Durham, N.C.; PharmaVoice, November 2005;

## Health Literacy

**Health Literacy – the ability to read, understand, and act on health information – is a health issue that affects all age, race, and income levels**
**Studies show that the health of 90 million people in the U.S. may be at risk because of the difficulty some patients have in understanding and acting upon health information.**
**One out of 5 American adults reads at the fifth grade level or below, and the average American reads at the eighth to ninth grade level, yet most healthcare materials are written above the tenth grade level.**

- Pfizer Web Site

## MARS 2005 OTC/DTC Study

- Survey conducted by Kanter Media Research Via Mail; Sample Size:  21,216

## Attitudes/Opinions About Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals 

**Agree A Lot / A Little**

|  | Age 18+ | Age 18-34 | Age 35-49 | Age 50-64 | Age 65+ |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population (000): | 216,883 | 67,211 | 64,576 | 49,227 | 35,869 |
| I research treatment options on my own and then ask my doctor about them | 31% | 29% | 32% | 34% | 29% |
| I always read the small print in magazine/newspaper pharmaceutical ads | 31% | 32% | 31% | 31% | 30% |
| The side effects associated with some prescription drugs sometimes scare me off a brand | 52% | 47% | 53% | 57% | 51% |

- Source:  MARS 2005 OTC/DTC  Study

## Attitudes/Opinions About Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals

|  | Age 18+ | Age 18-34 | Age 35-49 | Age 50-64 | Age 65+ |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population (000): | 216,883 | 67,211 | 64,576 | 49,227 | 35,869 |
| Finding information on health/  treatments on the Internet is very helpful to me | 32% | 39% | 35% | 31% | 15% |
| I am comfortable registering on a website which offers useful information about my health condition | 17% | 21% | 18% | 7% | 9% |
| Health information put out by drug companies and available at pharmacy is credible/useful | 38% | 36% | 36% | 40% | 42% |

- Source:  MARS 2005 OTC/DTC  Study

**Agree A Lot / A Little**

## Sources for Health Care Information

|  | Age 18+ | Age 18-34 | Age 35-49 | Age 50-64 | Age 65+ |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population (000): | 216,883 | 67,211 | 64,576 | 49,227 | 35,869 |
| Health Care Professionals | 82% | 82% | 82% | 85% | 77% |
| Friends/Relatives | 52% | 63% | 56% | 49% | 31% |
| Ads/Brochures/Pamphlets/
Wallboards & TV Programs in Doctors’ Offices | 50% | 57% | 53% | 51% | 31% |
| Medical Journals | 37% | 43% | 38% | 38% | 24% |

- Source:  MARS 2005 OTC/DTC Study

**Valued Very Much / Somewhat**

## Sources for Health Care Information

|  | Age 18+ | Age 18-34 | Age 35-49 | Age 50-64 | Age 65+ |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population (000): | 216,883 | 67,211 | 64,576 | 49,227 | 35,869 |
| Magazines
TV
Newspapers
Radio | 36%
38%
31%
18% | 37%
41%
33%
21% | 36%
39%
32%
20% | 39%
42%
34%
17% | 29%
27%
25%
8% |
| Internet–Drug Co. Web Sites
Internet-Health Web Sites | 13%
20% | 20%
28% | 13%
22% | 9%
15% | 3%
4% |

- Source:  MARS 2005 OTC/DTC Study

**Valued Very Much / Somewhat**

- Time Inc. DTC Study
- Fourth Quarter 2004

- Survey conducted Online by Harris Interactive and adjusted to reflect U.S. population of adults 18+; Sample Size:  3,570

## Doctors Provide Samples

- Source:  Time Inc. DTC Study, Fourth Quarter 2004

- Base:  Recently Diagnosed Sufferers at Time of Diagnosis, n=1,417

## Benefits of Rx Advertising (General Population)

**Percentage Who Completely or Somewhat Agree That Rx Ads**

| Make people more confident in talking to a doctor about their condition  | 69 |
| --- | --- |
| Provide information on who should or should not take the medication | 57 |
| Provide clear information on the drug’s benefits  | 49 |
| Supplement the information provided by a doctor  | 49 |
| Provide enough information about the drug’s side effects or risks  | 42 |
| Inform people about effective dosages and duration of treatment | 36 |
| Help people evaluate which drugs are best for them  | 32 |

**Q1300  **How much do you agree or disagree with each statement below?** **

- Base: One Half of All Respondents, Randomly Selected (n=1785)

- Source:  Time Inc. DTC Study, Fourth Quarter 2004

## ROLE OF TV & MAGAZINE ADS 

|  | Responses  Across All Key Conditions
(n=3767) |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | Television | Magazines | Both 
the same |
| Providing enough information about the drug’s side effects or risks | 12 | 48 | 40 |
| Providing clear information on the drug’s benefits | 15 | 38 | 47 |
| Informing people about effective dosages and duration of treatment | 14 | 38 | 48 |
| Directing people to a website for more information | 17 | 32 | 51 |
| Making people more confident in talking to a doctor about their condition | 27 | 11 | 62 |
| Reminding people to take their medication | 23 | 9 | 68 |
| Encouraging people to refill a prescription | 21 | 9 | 70 |

- ROLE OF TV & MAGAZINE ADS

**Which advertising do you feel was better at...?**

**Q420  **You indicated that you saw advertisements for prescription medications to treat [CONDITION] _both_ on television and in a magazine.  Which advertising do you feel was better at...?

- Note:  Calculated by taking %s of RESPONSES (vs. respondents)

- Source:  Time Inc. DTC Study, Fourth Quarter 2004

## Conclusions

**Healthcare professionals are the most valued source of healthcare information among patients of all age groups, according to the MARS 2005 OTC/DTC Study.  **
**However, there is a need for additional communication beyond these professionals...**
**Patients forget verbal information communicated by their physicians**
**Prescription drug compliance problems abound**
**Many patients research treatment options and supplement information from their doctors from a variety of sources.**
**The challenge is how to improve communications among patients who are not proactive, those who have difficulty understanding health information, and the elderly.**

## Patient Communications

**Presented by:  **
**Carol Rothkopf****December 7, 2005**