Lots of healthcare talk… Not enough action

Medical jargon, embarrassing conditions hamper dialogue
Marketing experts urge clearer communications at M2W-HC Conference

 

Washington, D.C. – November 2, 2009 — Despite a barrage of healthcare messaging these days – everything from dietary guidelines to prescription and OTC medications – American women still face chronic diseases and other preventable health problems.

 

Experts say the push for clear, honest healthcare talk is hampered by a litany of legal and medical jargon, as well as complex rules and government regulations. Adding to the problem, they say, the patients themselves are less than forthcoming about sensitive or embarrassing medical conditions.

 

A compliment of top healthcare experts and brand leaders will offer solutions for improving the lines of communication here at M2W®-HC™...The Conference for Marketing Healthcare to Women, November 5-6, 2009 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

 

“Even though a medical issue is complex, it needs to be able to put in language that the audience understands,” said conference speaker Lynn A. Sokler, Chief Marketing and Communication Strategy Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We know that 88% of women are less than proficient in health literacy. This means they have difficulty understanding what we put out. As marketers, we have a tremendous opportunity to address this.”

 

“We need to simplify more than just the language,” Sokler said. “We need to address the concepts, context, visuals and words we use to craft health messages they can understand and use. For example, you might understand that you have to enter your Social Security number on the hospital intake form, but not what it says.”

 

“And, we are often caught between a rock and a hard place,” she added. “Scientists want to preserve the complexity of the health issue and are not aware of the widespread lack of health literacy.”

Mary Lou Quinlan, CEO of Just Ask a Woman and author of What She’s Not Telling You, said that women can aggravate the issue because they aren’t disclosing the whole truth, despite their concerns about good health.

 

“Busy women will tell healthcare providers half-truths, like promising to lose weight or quit smoking, just as an easy out or out of wishful thinking,” Quinlan said. “In that sense, both the marketers and the consumers lose. Listening deeply to women, even probing beyond what they say to discover what they really believe is the key – yet the logjammed healthcare system is hard-pressed to give her that kind of attention.”

 

Conference speaker Marcee Nelson, president/founder, Pinktank, said embarrassing or stigmatizing factors of women’s health issues often stop the discussion before it gets started in the doctor’s office.

 

“Many women’s health issues like incontinence or vasomotor symptoms are quality-of-life issues that aren’t a priority for doctors,” said Nelson. “It is important to normalize these conditions for women so they feel free to speak up sooner and to create language that makes it easier for doctors and patients to agree during the short time they spend together.”

 

To bridge the gap between healthcare brands and their female consumers, more than 30 speakers and presenters will be at M2W®-HC™...The Conference for Marketing Healthcare to Women to share their marketing success stories.

 

“Women make healthcare decisions on a complex mixture of beliefs, emotions and self-concepts, creating a gap in communications, said Nan McCann, President of PME Enterprises, LLC, producer of M2W®-HC™. “One of the top goals of M2W®-HC™ is to promote more effective communications.”

 

Associate Sponsors of M2W®-HC™ are Aetna, Draftfcb, Ketchum, KickSkirt, LifeScript.com, M2W® E-ssentials, Paramount Market Publishing, Pink Tank, Publicis and Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness; Hospitality Sponsors are The Hunter Miller Group, NBC Universal and WomanWise; Affiliate Sponsors are the National Woman’s Health Resource Center, WomenHeart, Look Good – Feel Better, Go Red for Women and The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest; Imc2 Health & Wellness is a Workshop Sponsor; Pharmacy Health Network, Women’s HealthCARE Television Network, Carolina Pad and Zeno Group are Showcase Sponsors; SNiPPiES is the Video Journalism Resource.

 

For the complete conference schedule and registration information, please visit www.m2w-hc.com.