High-Quality Healthcare VNRs In Huge Demand
When produced objectively, healthcare VNRs have a great shot at airtime from news organizations nationwide, according to research by Duffey Communications, a healthcare marketing firm in Atlanta. News organizations are scrambling to satisfy an expanding appetite for healthcare information with smaller reporting staffs.
The study of 502 broadcast media outlets indicates:
- 73 percent of news organizations are interested in receiving weekly, non-biased public health VNRs.
- 71 percent of the TV stations surveyed provide daily coverage of health issues.
- More than 75 percent have a regular science/health segment in their newscasts.
Competition among pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and health plans is fierce for health news segments.
The top qualities that reporters and producers look for in VNRs are timeliness, a local angle and reliable sources. The study also found that use of b-roll, natural and background sound captured on video and split-track audio is in high demand.
On the other hand, the top reasons a VNR isn't used include a perceived bias, poor quality, no local angle and lack of time.
(Duffey Communications, Denise Kitchel, 404/266-2600)
HMO ER Rules Are Vague
The printed instructions about emergency care offered by health plans vary considerably and can be vague and misleading, according to a recent study by the Oregon Health Sciences University Department of Medicine in Portland. The research highlights the need for a "prudent layperson definition of 'emergency.'"
Though most health plans have instructions explicitly advising members to call 911 in an emergency or to go to a hospital's emergency department immediately, four of the 15 plans evaluated lacked this critical information.
Other findings include:
- Three health plans discouraged members from using the emergency department because they are often overused, which leads to increased healthcare costs and makes it difficult for emergency physicians to treat "true" emergencies.
- Nine health plans required members to distinguish between an "emergency and urgent condition," which could lead some participants to call their HMO before seeking immediate medical help in an emergency situation.
- Most plans failed to include chest pain or symptoms of stroke in their definition of an emergency.
The study is published in the July issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
(Oregon Health Sciences University, 503/494-8220)
U.S. Kids Have Healthy Forecast
Overall, the outlook for American kids is positive. For instance, vaccinations and preschool enrollment are up while teen smoking, adolescent childbirth and youth violence is down, according to a study by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.
Although trends are heading in the right direction, public health communicators should not be lulled into a false sense of security.
There's been no progress made in reducing teen alcohol consumption or increasing health insurance for children, according to the report that evaluates statistics from various government agencies. The report is available at http://childstats.gov.
Other findings include:
- Most children and teens need to improve their diets. In 1996, 24 percent of children ages 2 to 5 had a good diet and the rest needed improvement to meet federal guidelines, including 8 percent who had a poor diet.
- Overall, the number of 10th and 12th graders smoking dropped in 1998. But 22 percent of high school seniors and 16 percent of sophomores still smoked.