Self care revolution

The self care revolution is upon us. Governments, healthcare professionals and the public all have an appetite for enabling patients to become more involved in their own care. There are many benefits. But also many pitfalls. If done right, there would be financial savings, a more appropriate distribution of public health services and a more healthy population. If done incorrectly or too quickly, the public health system could strain under the demands of misdiagnosis and ill health. So how can this self care movement translate into a sustained and culture-changing revolution?

In recent times, marketers and communications professionals have all realised that people are more interested in managing their own health than ever before and they have positively encouraged it. Whether it's a matter of wanting to know more about illnesses and the treatment options available, or simply understanding more about healthy eating and personal care, consumers are at the centre of a self care revolution. But are they truly ready to take a more proactive role in their own care? Are patients and consumers able to get fully involved in their health without proper medical training?

The benefits of self care
If enacted correctly, the self care revolution could result in numerous advantages. Patients could be the biggest winners with a more convenient and consumer-friendly system that allows them to find medical solutions in their own time and become more knowledgeable and empowered along the way.

Extracting so-called minor ailments from the primary care setting and allowing either pharmacists or the patients themselves to diagnose, treat and medicate would save copious amounts of NHS money and allow GPs to focus on other priorities – such as commissioning, for instance. A 2009 report by the PAGB showed that around 51 million GP consultations involved just minor ailments, which equated to 18% of GPs' workloads. Moving some or all of these discussions away from primary care would free up waiting rooms and thereby allow patients who do need to see a GP to get an appointment quicker.

Conversely, retailers and pharmacists look set to benefit as more people come to them for advice and products rather than going straight to their GP. It will require proper training and investment from the retailers to ensure their staff have the information they need to diagnose, medicate and sell properly but, if done well, high street pharmacies look set to grow in terms of stature, till receipts and the number of people through the door.

Overarching all of this is the potential for brands to both 'own' and 'sell'. Brands could own a category and become pioneers in educating the public on how they could properly self care. They would also benefit from increased sales as patients turn into consumers and find their own OTC and GSL solutions to all manner of minor ailments and wellbeing issues.

The downside
So if the public, the NHS, retailers and brands all benefit, what's the big problem? Well, the dream of a self care revolution could well falter if it is not done slowly, thoughtfully and involving all parties along the way.

In terms of this self care revolution, Allidura was born out of this new societal and consumer movement as well as a demand from consumer health clients to build scientific and health credibility into their brands. We provide companies, brands, charities and public health organisations with communications campaigns that educate healthcare professionals and consumers and empower them to make informed decisions about their own health and wellbeing. And this part of the equation is key – education.

In this digital and social media age, consumers are researching and talking about health like never before. From the latest blockbuster drugs through to healthy recipes for weight-loss, people are increasing their understanding and feeling more and more empowered. But this empowerment is often misplaced and incorrect information and erroneous understanding is commonplace. What is needed is accurate, sacrosanct and easily-digestible information for the public to comprehend and use. This, you might say, is a role for government. But in these austere times, public health awareness campaigns are few and far between. For example, public funding for Change4Life has all but disappeared and now the government has asked the corporate sector to step in to educate the public about healthy eating and exercise.

Self care and communications
This is where strategic, mindful communications are important. Brands, charities and corporates can indeed fill the void in public health marketing and communications left by the government's budgetary cuts, but it needs to be done right if the UK is to move towards a new era of self care and patient empowerment.

Proper comprehension of the target audience is the first step. What is it currently thinking and believing? Who influences it and how can messages and information be best delivered to it? This is all easier said than done and requires both detailed analysis and empathy.

Messaging is also important to ensure that what a brand says about an illness, condition, treatment or medication will both cut through and resonate. These messages will be aimed not just at consumers but also at the healthcare professionals around them. For instance, different messages about a new over-the-counter weight loss drug should to be delivered to the public versus those delivered to the GPs who might advocate it, nurses who might support it, dieticians and nutritionists who might back it and pharmacists and pharmacy assistants who might sell it.

Strategic media planning will also be crucial to ensure those messages are delivered by the most appropriate method. Agencies and marketers are rightly embracing this age of gadgets, widgets and social media but they might not necessarily be the best ways of communicating with an older age group or a socially excluded part of society.
Underpinning all of this will be the need for message repetition and measurement to ensure the messages are being understood, remembered and acted upon. It would be wrong to assume that patients are taking in all of the information they are exposed to. Patients have relied heavily on the guidance and support of the healthcare community and these inert and passive habits will be hard to break. If they are to rely less on their local GP and more on their own knowledge or trust a high street pharmacy assistant then they will need to reassured that they are doing the right thing. This reassurance builds over time and for some patients, may never happen.

The revolution's evolution
What is clear is that communications and public relations will be crucially important if the self care revolution is to take place and succeed. The public and corporate intention is there, as is the financial and political will. Some patients are more empowered and knowledgable than ever but others are stuck in the passive mentality that their GP 'knows best' and have no immediate intention of taking the helm of their own healthcare ship. Public relations can act as a mechanism to both push patients out of their GP surgeries through empowering education as well as a way to pull patients on to the internet or into their local retailers through the building of trust.
As parts of the world move through their own political revolutions, the UK is on the verge of a self care revolution that will require long term and mindful planning and execution to ensure that no-one is left behind.

The author
Ben Hickey is Team Leader at Allidura Consumer.
He can be contacted at BHickey@allidura.com