Patients are perhaps the most important stakeholder group in healthcare communications, but establishing relationships with them can be a touchy endeavor. Consumers protect
their privacy fiercely, and the law, in most cases, prohibits corporations and other third-party organizations from contacting them directly. How can you build trust among this
critical audience? Let consumers come to you...online.
This was the tack Dow Corning took in the mid-'90s in the wake of its silicone breast implant crisis (PRN, June 5). The company created a Web site to educate implant
recipients who were concerned about their health risks. As a side benefit, the site shored up Dow Corning's relationships with nonprofit advocacy organizations, as it offered a
resource that the groups could refer callers to for more information.
If you're wondering what constitutes a successful advocacy site, iBreast.com offers a nice model. Founded last spring by a network of physicians, researchers, medical writers
and women living with breast cancer, the site addresses issues of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recurrence, offering both medical and emotional perspectives. Notably, the
site hosts monthly midnight chats, "to give women a place to turn late at night, when fear is at its worst." The first chat, held in June, drew more than 200 participants and
resulted in a slew of thank you letters from women worldwide - particularly many in remote locations who otherwise would have had no support network.
More recently, a July 20 chat addressed the role that diet plays in cancer
recovery. Site founder and oncologist Dr. Marisa Weiss co-hosted the live, 90-minute
discussion with Rhonda Gates, a health educator with degrees in pharmacy and
nutrition. The conversation covered foods that boost the immune system, foods
to avoid during chemotherapy, "good" and "bad" fats and guidelines for organic
foods.
(Dow Corning, 517/496-6470; Julie McQuain, JMPR, for iBreast.com, 212/477-0472)