Abstract Purpose In 2015, the American Medical Association called for a ban of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs. Yet, the pharmaceutical industry spends more than ever on ...broadcast advertisements, with national health care costs largely driven by drug spending. An evaluation of these ads is critical, as these advertisements can impact the frequency which patients ask their doctors about medications. Methods A content analysis of prime-time direct-to-consumer ads was conducted across 4 major cable television networks. The ad content (n = 61) was coded for factual claims made regarding target conditions, appeals used, portrayal of medications, and lifestyle characteristics shown. Results We found a substantial decrease in the percentage of ads that conveyed information about the conditions being targeted, such as risk factors (16%) and prevalence (16%). Positive emotional appeals (94%) continued to be emphasized; yet there was decreased use of negative emotional appeals (51%), pointing to an overall more positive portrayal of a patient's experience with a medication. The lifestyles portrayed in the sample largely featured how products can enable more recreational activities (69%) and fewer ads (7%) presented alternatives to product use. Conclusions Direct-to-consumer advertising continued to promote prescription drugs above educating the population. Improvement in the educational value of DTCA is likely to require regulatory action rather than reliance on self-regulation by the pharmaceutical industry.
Pfizer, manufacturer of the erectile dysfunction prescription treatment Viagra, has been a staple in the pharmaceutical advertising arena since broadcast versions of such ads became legally ...permissible in the United States in 1997. Given that the patent for Viagra is soon set to expire, it is important that research take a look back in an attempt to contextualize the brand’s place in shaping medicinal marketing culture. Of particular interest is the period beginning in 2014, when Viagra’s most unconventional campaign yet began using a tactic that was the first of its kind for the pharmaceutical industry. By removing the actual consumer of the medication from these ads (males), Viagra has paved the way for pharmaceutical advertising to target the medicinal partner. This manuscript reviews the first use of the medicinal partner in the pharmaceutical advertising sector, conducting a textual analysis of Viagra’s use of this mediated relationship. The medicinal partner is the pharmaceutical industry’s attempt to target a patient’s social circle in an effort to promote a discourse that suggests a medicinal remedy for a problem. This analysis describes how social meaning and relationships underlie the market transaction of obtaining a prescription, as has been previously established through the processes of medicalization and pharmaceutical fetishism. These advertisements create belief in the larger sense, meaning Pfizer is infiltrating upon the patient’s process of choice and consumption of medicinal remedies. Viagra is simultaneously encouraging male consumers to celebrate the brand while using female ambassadors to influence the decision to request medicinal intervention.
Recruitment into clinical trials is a challenging process, with as many as 40% of studies failing to meet their target sample sizes. The principles of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising rely upon ...novel marketing strategies. The ability to reach expansive audiences in the web-based realm presents a unique opportunity for researchers to overcome various barriers to enrollment in clinical trials. Research has investigated the use of individual web-based platforms to aid in recruitment and accrual into trials; however, a gap in the literature exists, whereby multiple mass communication platforms have yet to be investigated across a range of clinical trials.
There is a need to better understand how individual factors combine to collectively influence trial recruitment. We aimed to test whether DTC recruitment of potentially eligible study participants via social media platforms (eg, Facebook Meta Platforms Inc and Twitter Twitter Inc) was an effective strategy or whether this acted as an enhancement to traditional (eg, email via contact registries) recruitment strategies through established clinical research sites.
This study tested multiple DTC web-based recruitment efforts (Facebook, Twitter, email, and patient advocacy group PAG involvement) across 6 national and international research studies from 5 rare disease consortia. Targeted social media messaging, social media management software, and individual study websites with prescreening questions were used in the Protocol for Increasing Accrual Using Social Media (PRISM).
In total, 1465 PRISM website referrals occurred across all 6 studies. Organic (unpaid) Facebook posts (676/1465, 46.14%) and Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network patient contact registry emails (461/1465, 31.47%) represented the most successful forms of engagement. PRISM was successful in accumulating a 40.1% (136/339) lead generation (those who screened positive and consented to share their contact information to be contacted by a clinical site coordinator). Despite the large number of leads generated from PRISM recruitment efforts, the number of patients who were subsequently enrolled in studies was low. Across 6 studies, 3 participants were ultimately enrolled, meaning that 97.8% (133/136) of leads dropped off.
The results indicate that although accrual results were low, this is consistent with previously documented challenges of studying populations with rare diseases. Targeted messaging integrated throughout the recruitment process (eg, referral, lead, and accrual) remains an area for further research. Key elements to consider include structuring the communicative workflow in such a way that PAG involvement is central to the process, with clinical site coordinators actively involved after an individual consents to share their contact information. Customized approaches are needed for each population and research study, with observational studies best suited for social media recruitment. As evidenced by lead generation, results suggest that web-based recruitment efforts, coupled with targeted messaging and PAG partnerships, have the potential to supplement clinical trial accrual.
Participant recruitment for clinical research studies remains a significant challenge for researchers. Novel approaches to recruitment are necessary to ensure that populations are easier to reach. In ...the context of rare diseases, social media provides a unique opportunity for connecting with patient groups that have representatively lower diagnosis rates when compared with more common diseases or illness. We describe the implementation of designing a patient-centered approach to message design for the purposes of recruiting patients for clinical research studies for rare disease populations.
Using an iterative research approach, we analyzed our previous experience of using web-based direct-to-patient recruitment methods to compare these online strategies with traditional center of excellence recruitment strategies. After choosing six research studies for inclusion in the previous study, in-depth, online interviews (n = 37) were conducted with patients represented in each disease category to develop and test recruitment message strategies for social media and a Web-based platform for patients to access study information and pre-screen. Finally, relationships were established with Patient Advocacy Groups representing each rare disease category to ensure further dissemination of recruitment materials via their own social media networks.
Guided by social marketing theory, we created and tested various recruitment message designs. Three key message concepts preferred by patients emerged: (1) infographic; (2) positive emotional messages; and (3) educational information for sharing. A base study website was designed and created based on data from patient interviews. This website includes the option for potential participants to pre-screen and determine their eligibility for the study.
Study participants report wanting to be involved in the design and implementation of recruitment approaches for clinical research studies. The application of the aforementioned methods could aide in the evolution of clinical research practices for the recruitment of both rare and common diseases, where patient-centric approaches can help to create targeted messages designs that participants pre-test and support.
Information communicated through a narrative format is typically processed and evaluated differently compared to non-narrative formats. Therefore, differences in the use of narratives across various ...information categories within direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements (DTCA) could have significant implications for consumers' processing of that information. Such differences could have further implications regarding the "fair balance" rule put forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This study sought to document the presence and nature of narrative and non-narrative messages in a content analysis of 61 U.S.-based broadcast DTCA airing during 2016. Specific narrative styles (classic drama, vignette, first person, second person, third person) were distinguished from non-narrative styles (lecture, directive, endorsement, graphic/demonstration) according to key characteristics of each (chronology and character, showing versus telling). Results indicated widespread use of narrative styles in DTCA overall, but the styles used differed substantially between different types of information. Narrative styles were delivered prominently to present health condition and drug benefits information while non-narrative styles primarily reinforced drug benefits and presented drug risks. These differences offer a new frame through which to view an imbalanced presentation of drug risks and benefits and provide a foundation for future research to test the effects of various narrative and non-narrative forms on patient understanding and message recall.
One in ten U.S. patients has an internally implanted medical device. Yet, lax regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has resulted in the approval of medical devices ...disproportionately harming women, including Bayer Pharmaceutical's Essure, a permanent female sterilization device. Victims of Essure often suffer adverse events, including serious injuries, device malfunctions, and death. Guided by critical feminist theorizing, this case study examines 500 public docket comments written to the FDA by female patients recounting their experiences of adverse events with Essure. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed how women: (a) voiced their experiences to contest meanings of 'safety,' expressed identification with their 'E-Sisters,' and protected future women from harm; (b) identified forces of greed, deception, and gender bias as creating the conditions for harm to befall them; and (c) enacted resistance and called for a change in the status quo by the FDA and Bayer. Theoretical and practical implications for health communication researchers, medical practitioners and educators, and regulatory agencies are offered.
INTRODUCTION:
This study, part of a larger qualitative project, spurred significant participant feedback related to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) clients’ needs for support from racially ...similar doulas. As such, this study analyzed the data to investigate how doulas navigate client perceptions of race.
METHODS:
Seven in-depth interviews and six focus groups were conducted with doulas serving in Florida (n=31). Transcripts were coded post-inter-coder agreement using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. Participant consent and IRB approval were obtained.
RESULTS:
1) White doulas reported Black doulas advising them to refrain from taking on Black, Brown, non-English speaking clients and instead to refer when possible. Some participants explained tendency for implicit bias and discrimination when White doulas try to step into the perspective of clients of color, specifically Black women, despite good intent in trying to support a community facing health disparities. 2) A few doulas referred to White doulas reaching out to non-White clients as a savior/virtue signaling act, while others countered that White doulas can use their racial status for advocacy in medical settings.
CONCLUSION:
Doulas shared a desire to work with underserved families and discussed that issues surrounding race must first be acknowledged in order to create safer spaces for open communication surrounding maternal health, thereby mitigating disparities. It is important to note that our study relied on convenience sampling, utilizing predominantly White doulas, limiting our data on Black doula experiences and their perceptions on the role of race in the doula–client relationship. Future directions must include diversification of participants and speaking directly with Black doulas.
This study explores the NFL's "Future of Football" advertising campaign as a narrative strategy embedded within the league's tradition focused on brand control. Using narrative and thematic analyses, ...17 broadcast advertisements that aired from 2016-2019 are examined to investigate the league's re-implementation of media messaging to position itself as a leader on safety. Findings indicate a narrativization of the NFL as a bastion of scientific discovery aimed at improving the safety of football, whereby science is manipulated under the guise of technology and innovation (e.g., new helmets and equipment), and player agency is orchestrated to parrot the NFL's brand messaging.
PDF
