Joining the patient conversation on the doctor’s terms
One value we believe we share with physicians is the advantages of airtight scientific research. From physicians’ intensive education and training (as well as experience), doctors learn that it rarely pays to be first in anything.
After all, lives are at stake. There’s a good reason for respecting the sacrosanct process of proper research protocol and peer-reviewed literature in regard to new medical treatments and surgical techniques.
Does that mean no prior public discussion of any unproven treatments and techniques? Absolutely not. Patients expect and demand it. And they will have that discussion publicly with or without doctors.
Finding the middle ground
We cited a recent example in the wake of breaking news about the so-called “cancer vaccine.” A urologist blogger declined our suggestion of commenting on the news of a possible breakthrough based on use of the vaccine for prostate cancer.
His understandable reluctance to comment was based on early data from the first stage of a small clinical trial. However, rather than pronounce the results as either the great new hope or all poppycock, we proposed a blog entry to the effect of:
This new medicine is based on a logical concept of helping the body use its own resources to better battle a potentially fatal disease, a very attractive idea indeed. However, it’s important to remember that so far it’s been tried on a miniscule portion of prostate cancer sufferers, who on average had their lifespan extended by barely four months.
So for now, we must rely on tried-and-true treatments, knowing that it may be years before we truly know the effectiveness of this new approach.
Competing with Dr. Google
Similarly, in a recent and routine check of the physician blog for one of our fertility-practice clients, we found entries about IVF laboratories, cancer and fertility, and obesity and fertility – all excellent blog topics and extremely well presented by the practice’s team of physician bloggers.
At the same time, fertility physician bloggers have steadfastly avoided one of the hottest related topics in their field, acupuncture. Labs, cancer and obesity are far from the only suitable subjects for blogging, especially when you learn that there is less than 2,000 related Google searches each month.
On average, our research indicates that Web users make more than 8 million Google searches per month on the Internet on fertility topics. On the topic of fertility and acupuncture, Google reports about 120,000 searches per month.
In a variation of the old saying, don’t just stand there. Say something.
About Vanguard Communications
Since 1994, Vanguard Communications has provided specialty healthcare marketing with a strategy focused on patient education guaranteed to bring new patients to specialist physicians, physician assistants, nurses and therapists in private, university and hospital practices. Through its MedMarketLink program, Vanguard combines the disciplines of online and offline PR, strategic marketing and information technology for healthcare providers coast to coast.