Terry R. Reid, MSW Jan Schnellman, MEd Quitline Promotion: Creating Demand for Services

Learning Objectives Explain how media presents multiple opportunities for Quitline promotion. Explain how Quitline demand can be driven by health care systems changes and provider education Recognize value of health care provider outreach to drive referral to Quitline Describe effective methods to train health care providers on services provided by Quitline

Quitline Awareness Levels 55% of healthcare providers in Washington have heard about the Quitline (2006 Healthcare Practices survey) 74% of adult smokers in Washington have heard about the Quitline (2010 BRFSS) (“Heard about” does not mean they understand how it works) After several years of active promotion there is still work to do.

Media Promotion Paid advertising Collateral materials Internet media Quit Now Earned media Quitline Makes News

Paid Advertising Effective advertising is expensive. Requires setting a target audience and researching messages. –Demographics and readiness to quit An effective ad will motivate a quit attempt and increase awareness about the Quitline. The media buy must be robust and targeted Quit Now

Example of Paid Advertising The “Dear Me” campaign: Targeted “working poor” tobacco users ages Used “real people” telling their story, not actors Messages have emotional impact and empower quitting –“nobody can make me quit but me” Ads ran in Washington and 10 other states and prompted significant increases in calls

Insert Dear Me video here Example of Paid Advertising

Paid Advertising Drives Calls How Callers Reported Hearing About the Quitline

Quitline Makes News Earned Media Getting the Quitline in the news –News releases, editorials, newsletter articles Messages range from detailed information about services to just the phone number Requires well written product that is newsworthy and follow up with media outlets Newsletters effective in reaching targeted groups (employers and providers) Earned media is “free’ but labor intensive

Examples of Earned Media New Year’s resolution news release Adding Quitline number to news releases about latest smoking rates or research Mother’s Day Op-ed from public health to encourage quitting Newsletter article for provider’s about new Medicaid cessation benefit that includes Quitline

Internet Media Can be either free or paid Developing a cessation website is useful –Self-help tools, list of local resources, explanation of Quitline, “click to call” feature –becomeanex.org is good example Emerging opportunities using social media –Motivational text messages –Facebook connections to other quitters

Collateral materials Range from materials to supplement a media campaign to educational brochures for health care clinics Can be very targeted and culturally and language specific Limitations: requires research and plan for dissemination

Examples of Collateral Material

Comprehensive Campaign Example TV and radio ads targeting adult smokers using humor and tagged with Quitline number and web site (quitline.com) News release to launch campaign Web site branded with Cold Turkey, self help tools, local resources and “click to call” Collateral materials (posters, T-shirts, ) Washington’s Cold Turkey campaign:

Provider Outreach Program Outreach Program Goals: Increase the capacity of clinics and hospitals to identify tobacco users Advise patients who use tobacco to quit Refer those who are ready to quit to available cessation resources

Results from a Provider Outreach Program Annual Mean Percent Change in Quit Line Registrations,

Results from a Provider Outreach Program Health Professional “How Heard Abouts” as a Percent of Total Quit Line Calls.

Results from a Provider Outreach Program Fax Referrals as a Percent of Quit Line Calls,

Health Professional Training Topics: The Brief Tobacco Intervention Services and resources available through the Quitline Reaching specific tobacco users (e.g. mental health and chemical dependency, diabetes and other chronic disease patients)

Health Professional Training Methods: Face to face (train the trainer) Webinars Online training

Final Thoughts It’s critical to coordinate promotion with Quitline capacity Be strategic –Align with policy development –Target specific population group –Align with health care provider outreach Have a plan to “turn down the volume” Evaluate impact Consider outreach to health professionals that leads to systemic change in practices Identify resources for health care provider education and outreach

Discussion Questions Describe an effective strategy you have used to increase awareness of the Quitline. What limitations did you encounter in promoting awareness? How can you engage healthcare providers to promote the Quitline? How have you educated providers about implementing change to systems so that patients are routinely asked about tobacco use and referred for treatment?

Thank You