Pixels & Pills is excited to be playing a part in Eye For Pharma’s upcoming Digital Innovation in Pharma Summit, being held in Boston, MA, November 2^nd and 3^rd. We’ll be there with camera and mic at the ready to get all the thought leaders on camera. We’re also the sponsor of Wednesday night’s opening drinks. Make sure to come and say “hello.”

This blog is all about “new directions in digital pharma,” so the Digital Innovation in Pharma Summit is one that we’re really excited to be attending. With topics surrounding new advancements in digital marketing, with a focus to EMRs, ePrescribing, 2D barcodes and Pharma 3.0; Improving patient communications; Improving engagement with health care providers; Consistency through integration – how some top level execs are using digital with their traditional methods; and new developments in analytics, this is a conference that’s right up our alley.

What are you most looking to check out?

Check out the full agenda here.

Solution providers, register here. Pharmaceutical companies, register here.

Title: Digital Innovation In Pharma

Date: November 2 & 3, 2011

Location: The Radisson | 200 Stuart Street | Boston, Massachusetts 02116 | (617) 482-1800

Today’s guest post comes from Ken Thorlton, SVP, Creative Director, of HealthEd. Ken has been with HealthEd since 2004, now serving as senior vice president, creative services. In this role, he manages design teams and oversees all aspects of creative development—interpreting clients’ communication strategies, visually capturing patient insights and needs, and unifying that vision into a strategic creative concept. He is also proficient in the field of educational design and health literacy principles as they pertain to the creation of patient education materials.

Throughout his career, Ken has delivered creative solutions to pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, health benefit providers, and retail healthcare companies. His designs have garnered many industry awards.

by Ken Thorlton (@HE_KenT)

Ever think about how pictures affect what you do in your daily life? Have you ever tipped a waiter a little more because he drew a smiley face on the bottom of your check? Or donated money to a local humane society when you saw pictures of puppies in its literature? Studies have shown that the frequency and size of a waiter’s tips were greater when the smiley face was present. And that more money was donated when puppy pictures were shown, versus text-only materials.

A recent paper I came across highlights the importance of pictures in all communications, and especially in health education.

The Fry formula, the Flesch-Kincaid system, the SMOG. These are all health literacy assessment tools that help estimate the grade reading level of written words on a page. According to experts, some of these tools are better than others.

HealthEd applies health literacy guidelines to all of its patient materials, not just the written parts. We understand that the grade reading level of written health education plays a major role in helping patients comprehend and apply positive behaviors to their treatment. And in light of the fact that 50 percent of all Americans read below the eighth-grade level, the written word (and its associated grade level) becomes even more important.

But the grade reading level of health education materials alone is only one guideline of many that help to produce effective patient education. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, we must “use measures of reading grade level only in combination with other factors to judge ease of reading.” As a creative director, and one who speaks frequently on the role of design in creating health literate materials, pictures and visuals are those “other factors.”

Do pictures really affect comprehension of health education materials? A recent study assessed the effects of incorporating pictures on understanding medication instructions among 60 low-literate respondents. Of those who received a leaflet with pictures, 93% responded correctly to the question “How must you take this medicine?” versus 47% for those that received text-only instructions. And when asked, “What are the actual times?”, 73% answered correctly who had been given the text plus pictures versus only 3% that received the text-only version.

There are many other health education studies that seem to have the same conclusion. Incorporating pictures into health education materials will help patients better understand the information. But, as health educators, we know it’s not just about a patient’s ability to comprehend the information. We want them to act on the information as well.

Do pictures influence people’s intentions and behavior in response to medical instructions? According to a study of 234 emergency room patients, those who were given instructions for managing lacerations with pictures were 77% were more likely to do what was recommended versus only 54% for those who received text-only instructions. And another study of 78 non-literate women showed that, on average, women who received picture instructions took 90% of the pills prescribed for the affected time period versus 78% for the women who received only spoken instructions.

So, it seems logical to assume that incorporating pictures into health education can not only enhance a reader’s comprehension, but also help them accept the message as something they should act on. With that in mind, here are some recommendations for using pictures in health education:

• Look for ways to include pictures
  • Think from a visual perspective and ask, “where can I use pictures to support key points”
• Try and use the most basic drawings or photographs
  • This helps viewers with low literacy skills to understand the intended message and not become distracted by unimportant details
• Visually guide how pictures are interpreted by the viewer
  • Use captions that describe what is happening in the picture and link to text through proximity
• Be sensitive to the culture of the intended audience
  • Readers want to see themselves and their concerns related in the piece. If they don’t, chances are they are not fully understanding the information
• Evaluate the effect of including pictures
  • If possible, try to conduct follow-up interviews that assess attention, understanding, remembrance, and adherence as it pertains to the inclusion of pictures in the piece

We understand the grade-reading level of health education materials can be a “make it or break it” point for patient comprehension. Writing at a lower level can certainly help readers understand the information better. But words alone won’t do the trick.  As referenced above, pictures along with copy allow for more comprehension, better recall, and ongoing adherence to treatment regimes than just plain text with no visuals.

And can also lead to better tips. Just ask the waiter with the smiley face.

Citations

Houts PS, Doak CC, Doak LG, Loscalzo MJ. The role of pictures in improving health communication: a review of research on attention, comprehension, recall, and adherence. Patient Educ Couns. 2006 Dec; 64(1-3:393-4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16122896. Accessed October 3, 2011.

Guegun N, Logeherel P. Effect on tipping of barman drawing a sun on the bottom of customers’ checks. Psychol Rep 2000;87:223-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11026416. Accessed October 3, 2011.

Perrine RM, Heather S. Effects of picture and even-a-penny-will-help appeals on anonymous donations to charity. Psychol Rep 2000;86:551-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Perrine%20donations. Accessed October 3, 2011.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Writing and Designing Print Materials for Beneficiaries: A Guide for State Medicaid Agencies. Washington, DC: US Dept of Health and Human Services; 1999. Publication 10145.

Mansoor LE, Dowse R. Effect of pictograms on readability of patient information materials. Ann Pharmacother 2003;37:1003-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12841808. Accessed October 3, 2001.

Delp C, Jones J. Communicating information to patients: the use of cartoon illustrations to improve comprehension of instructions. Acad Emerg Med 1996;3:264-70. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Delp%20cartoon. Accessed October 3, 2011.

Ngoh LN, Shepard MD. Design development, and evaluation of visual aids for communicating prescription drug instructions to non-literate patients in rural Cameroon. Patient Educ Counsel 1997;31:245-61. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9104382. Accessed October 3, 2011.

Jane Sarasohn-Kahn (@healthythinker) talks about how macro and microeconomics affect people’s attitudes towards healthcare.

Hey. Psst. Real quick – who’s going to the Digital Innovation in Pharma Summit next month?

Really? We would have thought we’d see more hands. We’ll be there. And we think you should be, too.

Here’s the thing – This event is nothing like the other digital events on the market. They have senior speakers from over 10 different pharma companies, who will provide a broad range of info as to what each company is doing digitally.

Among the presentations that we’re really looking forward to (and the people we hope to get key takeaways to share with you!) are:

Jay Goldman, Klick Pharma, who will be sharing his top trends for 2012. We love to hear these and then to see which predictions come true!

Kristi Durazo, American Heart Association, giving a presentation about the impact of the virtual world and gaming for pharma. We are really excited about gaming in this space, and its implications on education and compliance. This should be really interesting.

Jamie Manning, Biogen Idec, sharing his insights into successful mobile initiatives. We spend a lot of space talking about how mobile is the future.

Jana Memel, Oscar®-winning Producer, The Right Way, will speak to the art of storytelling for a brand. Something else we cover a bunch here on Pixels & Pills!

The folks at Digital Innovation in Pharma limit the amount of non-pharma attendees – ensuring it is an exclusive event that caters to a senior pharma crowd.

One more thing. Right now they are giving Pixels & Pills readers $300 off registration with the code PXPS2011! How cool is that?

Title: Digital Innovation in Pharma

Date: November 2 & 3, 2011

Location: Radisson Hotel Boston, 200 Stuart Street | Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Pixels & Pills Discount Code: Our readers can get $300 off registration with the code PXPS2011

Ed Bennett, Manager of Web Services at the University of Maryland Medical Center talks at Social Media for Social Health about how hospitals are using social media to monitor patient wellness, build support communities and motivate staff and generally improve patient care.

A presentation from our own Dan Licht and Piers Fawkes, of PSFK.

It’s the time of year when we spend a lot of time at conferences. And we hope you enjoy our coverage.

We’re pleased to announce that we’ll be back in Philly, October 17 through 20, for the 5th annual Digital Pharma East.

Just a few things you can look forward to:

• 10 in depth case studies: Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly USA, LLC, AstraZeneca, Genentech, Daiichi Sankyo, Quest Diagnostics, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Medthink Communications, Bristol-Myers Squibb
• The “Unconference” Returns: Communicate with your peers in group discussions that push the boundaries of a traditional conference
• In addition to the four days of cutting-edge content, Digital Pharma East proves to be “the place to be” for meeting the industry’s top innovators with 3 networking receptions hosted by iMedExchange, iProspect Health Sciences and MedPage Today.
• Mobile Day returns, 3 in-depth tracks, 4 pre-conference workshops and panel discussions

NEW for 2011:

1. A  focus on Multi-Channel Integrated Marketing–Digital Pharma hones in on the hot topic of the year
2. Case Studies! Case Studies! You asked for them and we are delivering. More Case Studies than at any other Digital Pharma event to date!
3. A special three session program on Regulatory issues featuring AstraZeneca, MedImmune and Novartis
4. An in depth look at how Pharma is implementing the use of the iPad® and changing the face of the sales force
5. The Mobile Marketing one day program returns with new speakers and more advanced topics

With co-Chairpersons Marc Monseau and Shwen Gwee, you know this is going to be an amazing event!

What are you most looking forward to?

As a Pixels & Pills reader, you can enter the code P629Pixel upon registration and receive 10% off!

Title: Digital Pharma East

Date: October 17-20, 2011

Location: Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Pixels&Pills Discount Code: P629Pixel will get you 10% off at registration

We’re getting ready to bring you all the SXSH and ePatCon coverage that you’ve been waiting for!

Until tomorrow, take a look at our YouTube channel and think back to last year’s great conference.