2003 — Social Marketing to Providers: Theory and Practice

Sherman SE (VA New York Harbor Healthcare System), Cohen A (VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System), Mittman B (VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System), Schnurr P (National Center for PTSD)

Workshop Objectives:
Even the best health care intervention will have minimal impact if patients and providers do not adopt it. How do you actually get people to adopt, use, and sustain your intervention or program? Part science and part art, this workshop draws on numerous studies on changing provider behavior, as well as the research on diffusion of innovations and other areas. This workshop will review the current thinking on marketing to providers and share approaches used in several multi-site studies, including the use of a formal program “kick-off”, involvement of providers in program development and adaptation, continuous feedback to providers, use of email, posters, educational pamphlets, opinion leaders, key stakeholders (including consumers), and “office hours”. Participants will be encouraged to share their own experiences. Objectives: 1. To understand the theories relevant to getting providers to adopt an intervention or program. 2. To discuss specific examples of approaches to social marketing and the lessons learned from them.

Activities:
After eliciting questions from the audience, Dr. Mittman will review the theories underlying social marketing, with a specific emphasis on clinical providers. Dr. Cohen will discuss social marketing in the EQUIP study series, which is implementing collaborative care for schizophrenia in 4 VISNs. Dr. Schnurr will discuss social marketing used in a series of studies implementing treatment for PTSD in dozens of VA medical centers. Dr. Sherman will discuss the use of these approaches in smoking cessation studies across 2 VISNs and summarize the examples given by the panelists. We will then spend 15 minutes having audience participants share their experiences. The last 15 minutes will be an open Question and Answer session of the panelists.

Target Audience:
People conducting studies where they need health care providers to adopt their program.

Assumed Audience Familiarity with Topic:
Participants who have some experience with trying to get providers to adopt an innovation will get the most out of the workshop, but it is relevant and targeted at people at all levels of experience.