The Role of the Media in Promoting Heath Care Consumer Awareness

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The Role of the Media in Promoting Heath Care
Consumer Awareness

• by Adib F. Farha

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Consumer ignorance is a universal characteristic
of the health sector

• The process of purchasing goods or services
  (other than health care) entails formal or
  informal research to ascertain the quality of the
  particular purchase, price, after-sale service,
  and the suitability of the goods or services to
  the consumers budget.

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• ? In health care,
• the consumer is not sufficiently qualified to
  determine need,
• need is determined by the supplier itself,
• price and quality comparisons are not feasible
• ? The consumer needs direction and guidance

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Consumer awareness and guidance is a shared
responsibility of

• ? The Ministry of Health.
• ? Non governmental organizations.
• ? Physicians.
• ? Schools.
• ? Municipalities, and
• ? The media

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Consumer health care awareness issues

• ? Prevention programs
• ? Treatment
• ? New developments in health care
• ? Immunizations
• ? Second opinions
• ? The option of generic drugs
• ? The option of drugs manufactured in the Arab
  World under license

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• ? Economic implications
• Cost per capita in Lebanon is among the highest
  in the world.
• Overconsumption.
• The burden of health expenditure is borne by the
  public, whether directly or indirectly.
• Optimal consumption diverts wasted funds to
  vulnerable groups, i.e. senior citizens, poor,
  and children.

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Media is an opinion leader

• Public service spots in newspapers, radio,
  internet, and TV.
• Programs related to road traffic safety, tobacco,
  industrial accident, drug abuse, alcoholism,
  immunization, pollution, youth issues, etc
• Talk shows.
• TV programs moral value.
• Telethons serve to raise awareness as well as
  fundraising.
• Recruiting celebrities to promote health
  awareness issues (Dole erectile dysfunction/
  Barbara Bush alcoholism).

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Medias conflict of interest

• Awareness campaigns do not bring in direct
  advertising revenues.
• Advertising for alcoholic beverages, tobacco
  products, etc. generates income.
• Loss can be compensated by an improved image of
  the media tool resulting in a larger audience,
  which itself brings in additional paid advertising

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Truth and responsibility in advertising

• The need for a policy that prevents the promotion
  of false claims. Example Pneumococcal pneumonia
  . To advertise a product featuring colored water
  saying that studies show that 50 of people who
  consume it would recover completely from
  pneumococcal pneumonia would be true but
  misleading. Even without treatment, 50 of
  people with pneumococcal pneumonia would recover
  completely.

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• Advertising for dietary supplements whose
  benefits have not been sufficiently proven, e.g.
  shark cartilage as a treatment for cancer or fat
  burners as a tool for weight loss.
• Again, a shared responsibility of the public
  (MOH) and private (media) sectors.