The Association of Medical Illustrators Annual Meeting

 

          
Samantha Reba
Junior Writer

The 68th Annual Meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) took place July 17-21 in Salt Lake City, Utah. As the premier conference on medical and scientific visualization, the annual AMI meeting brings together a diverse array of professionals engaged in promoting the power of visual media to advance understanding of the life sciences. Two of our esteemed medical illustrators, Mike Boasso and Satyen Tripathi, were able to travel out to the city to attend 4 days of the conference.

Among other things, this year’s conference, entitled “FUSION: Connecting Minds, Visualizing Science & Medicine,” consisted of daily workshops led by a host of highly regarded professionals. Satyen had the opportunity to sit in on a workshop led by Chris Converse, a multimedia designer and developer from the Philadelphia area.  Chris has been a featured speaker at HOW Design, AIGA, and Adobe MAX conferences, and has written and hosted a variety of training videos. The subject of the workshop that Satyen attended was Adobe Edge Animate, which is the newest addition to the Adobe family. The program combines Adobe and web standards with rich features that allow the user to design and animate every interactive experience.

Mike, who’s been attending AMI Annual Meetings for a decade, was able to grab a seat in the ZBrush® for Beginners workshop led by Wes Price, an associate professor of media arts and animation at the Art Institute of Colorado. Mr. Price’s workshop discussed the importance of ZBrush®, the prominent program that’s become a very powerful and useful tool in the field of biomedical visualization.

In addition to the workshops, a salon was created to showcase medical illustrations from across the country. The artwork remained on display for the entirety of the conference.

More than 300 professionals turned out for the meeting. Speakers included: Roberta Ness, MD, MPH, Dean of The University of Texas School of Public Health; Jens Krüger, PhD , Chair of the High Performance Computing Graphics & Visualization group at the University of Duisburg-Essen; Frederic Hellman, MD, Delaware County Medical Examiner; Peleg Top, Marketing Strategist; Carlos Machado, MD, Physician/Illustrator at Ciba-Geigy/Novartis; and Carl Zimmer, Author.

The 69th Annual Meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators will take place July 23-26, 2014 in Rochester, MN. Mike and Satyen are already looking forward to attending.

The Importance of Pediatric Health Literacy

Christine Sokoloski, MS
Associate Director of Health Education

Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Since most of these health decisions are made by adults, the majority of health literacy studies have focused on adults. From these studies we know that most health care materials are written at a 10th-grade level or higher; yet most adults read at an 8th- or 9th-grade level. In addition, just over 20% of adults read at a 5th-grade level or lower. It's challenging enough to provide health-literate education at an adult reading level, but what do you do when your audience reads at a 5th-grade level?

First, we must establish that addressing the health literacy needs of the pediatric population is important. Yes, parents and caregivers are the ones making health decisions for children, but as children grow they take on more responsibility and make more of their own health-related decisions.  As children hit puberty, they are forced with many health choices. These choices and a child's attitude toward health that develops in childhood can greatly predict that child's adult health behavior. Getting children involved and encouraging more responsibility creates independence and a willingness to improve their health.

Improving health literacy involves creating education around several areas of a child's life. First, health information must be appropriate for parents and caregivers who create the foundation of healthy behaviors in children. Data show that 78 million people (36% of the population) between the ages of 16 and 64 cannot complete "below-basic" health literacy tasks, such as using a dosing chart for an OTC medicine. Information must be presented to adults and caregivers in a health-literate fashion, which includes using plain language, pictures whenever possible, and action-orientated statements. Empowering the adult can empower the child through modeling.

Second, healthcare providers must also be trained on how to properly educate children. They need to understand shared decision making and effective communication skills that are age-appropriate. HCPs can encourage children to ask questions and to "teach back" what they've learned. Encouraging dialog between the child and the healthcare provider establishes the healthcare provider as a partner in health. By establishing this relationship at an early age, it allows for greater opportunity for health issues to be prevented or addressed early on.

And, finally, the school system plays an important role in improving health literacy and health understanding. The American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association have stated that school health education programs can improve the well-being and health of the nation's youth. Schools play an important role not only through health-education programs, but by improving literacy levels overall. Some studies have shown that children who have read below their grade level are at greater risk for substance use and sexually transmitted diseases. It should come as no surprise that there's an established connection between limited overall literacy and limited health literacy.

But perhaps the best way to improve health literacy is to get children involved in their health at a young age. Age-appropriate health material can start to establish healthy behaviors. Material should use age-appropriate language, have clear actions with easy-to-follow steps, and find ways to engage the targeted population. For example, a print brochure may be the right way to explain the importance of vaccines to a 30-year-old parent, but to educate an 8-year-old that same information may need to be presented as a game or in an animation.

Improving health literacy in children takes time but is essential to their well-being. Children see and regularly interact with health messages, health interventions, and health practitioners. Providing them with the tools to make empowered decisions will improve health outcomes later in life.

Is there value in educating patients?

Gene S Lysko, Medical Writer


Despite the paucity of definitive or robust clinical evidence, we recognize the inherent value of patient education. In the broadest sense, especially in the context of patient-centered care (rather than disease-centered care), patient education empowers people to take responsibility for managing their own health in the face of disease or medical complications.


Comprehending the need

A key element of patient education is to provide patients with the knowledge that will empower them to participate as an important member of the healthcare team: think of compliance with treatment instructions or postoperative care directives. Patient education can help patients appreciate the importance of following directions, solving problems, and preventing or minimizing avoidable complications, and it can teach them the skills needed to handle these tasks successfully. Additionally, patient education is also credited with increasing a patient’s satisfaction with their care.


Surrogate markers

Responsibility, participation, skill-learning, and satisfaction are all credible objectives or outcomes of patient education. I call these outcomes “surrogate markers.” However, positive changes in behavioral and clinical outcomes that improve the lives of patients matter most—improving rates of morbidity and mortality are the most important objectives of patient education.

Recently, I reviewed the literature on the effectiveness of patient education on improving outcomes. The results of eight meta-analyses of more than 300 studies published during the last 20 years aren’t very encouraging.(1-8)



Little or no difference

While the scope of the patient education initiatives and their educational methods and objectives varied greatly, for the most part, the results of the meta-analyses show that patient education made little or no difference in the measured outcomes, surrogate markers or otherwise.(1-3,5,7)

That’s contrary to what we expect from patient education. However, some meta-analyses paint a better picture. These studies establish that patient education does directly and positively influence behavior and improve not only surrogate markers such as levels of knowledge, satisfaction, and physical activity, but more importantly, rates of morbidity and mortality as well.(4,6,8) This was especially true in patients with chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease.(8)

What can we learn from the patient education initiatives analyzed in these meta-analyses?

Bluntly, when patient education is done right, it works.



More than knowledge

This is not breaking news. Three decades ago, Mazzuca(9) learned that patient education designed only to improve patients’ health by increasing their knowledge was rarely successful. In that study (of 300 reports), patient education that focused on behavior-oriented programs that modified the environment to allow patients to care for themselves, were consistently successful at improving the clinical course of chronic disease.

Behavioral strategies that provide positive reinforcement, feedback, and personalization form a strong foundation for patient education; however, these strategies must meet the needs of patients and match their abilities(8) (eg, literacy). Specifically, behavioral strategies that promote tactics such as tracking or self-monitoring,(4,6) and those that exploit multiple communication approaches (“channels”)(6) and increase a patient’s knowledge of their condition, form the basis of successful patient education.

Is there value in educating patients? Yes. When it’s done right.


References

1. Välimäki M, Hätönen H, Lahti M, et al. Information and communication technology in patient education and support for people with schizophrenia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;10:CD007198. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007198.pub2

2. Gross A, Forget M, St George K, et al. Patient education for neck pain. Cochrane
Database Syst Rev. 2012;3:CD005106. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005106.pub4

3. Duke SA, Colagiuri S, Colagiuri R. Individual patient education for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;(1):CD005268. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005268.pub2

4. Conn VS, Hafdahl AR, Brown SA, Brown LM. Meta-analysis of patient education
interventions to increase physical activity among chronically ill adults. Patient
Educ Couns. 2008;70(2):157-172. Epub 2007 Nov 26

5. Gysels M, Higginson IJ. Interactive technologies and videotapes for patient education in cancer care: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Support Care Cancer. 2007;15(1):7-20. Epub 2006 Sep 23

6. Mullen PD, Simons-Morton DG, Ramírez G, et al. A meta-analysis of trials evaluating patient education and counseling for three groups of preventive health behaviors. Patient Educ Couns. 1997;32(3):157-173

7. Brown SA. Meta-analysis of diabetes patient education research: variations in
intervention effects across studies. Res Nurs Health. 1992;15(6):409-419

8. Mullen PD, Mains DA, Velez R. A meta-analysis of controlled trials of cardiac
patient education. Patient Educ Couns. 1992;19(2):143-162

9. Mazzuca SA. Does patient education in chronic disease have therapeutic value?
J Chronic Dis. 1982;35(7):521-529

Helping Family Caregivers

Many years ago, long before the Internet, I suddenly became a caregiver for my father when the final stages of his cancer were too much for my mother to handle alone. Without any training or advice, I found myself getting deeper and deeper into the role reversal of child caring for parent.

At first, the tasks were easy, comprising little more than helping Dad by running errands or driving him to appointments. As his disease progressed, so did my involvement with his care. I figured out how to help him with bathing and changing his colostomy bag while trying to maintain a sense of dignity for both of us. The dignity didn’t last long, as his needs grew and his abilities diminished. By the time his life ended, I was intimately involved in every aspect of his daily life. Although his final months had drained me physically and emotionally, I wouldn’t trade that time for anything. We both, finally, came to understand how much we meant to each other.

Today, things have changed for the better. Training and advice are readily available online. Want to know how to change a colostomy bag? There’s a video on the Internet that shows the process in detail. Need information about financial assistance with lifesaving medication? It’s on the Net. Looking for help with the emotional roller coaster that caregivers often experience? A wealth of resources are available online.

It’s a good thing that caregiver education is available because the number of people who become family caregivers is growing, and growing fast. In 2010, 30% of adults were family caregivers, with almost two-thirds of them supporting a parent or in-law. By 2012, the number had jumped to 39%, and this trend is expected to continue. Fueling the trend is an aging population, the recent economic downturn that has reduced the use of paid, professional caregivers, and improved healthcare that extends lifespans.

Extended lifespans are a wondrous development, but they place a larger demand on family caregivers. As modern medicine develops new therapies, family caregivers may need more education about disease states and therapy options to help their loved ones make the best possible choices. Once the best option has been selected, the regimen can require a large number of medications and dosing schedules to keep track of. Even the ideal regimen is of little value if medicines aren’t taken as directed. The help of a caregiver can make a dramatic difference.

For example, COPD patients with spousal caregivers had 19% higher adherence to antihypertensive medication and 33% higher adherence to long-acting beta agonist medication, compared to a group without caregivers.
 
COPD is not an isolated example. Among cardiac patients, 39% reported being prescribed 7 or more medications, and one in four reported being non-adherent to their medications. Patients with a caregiver were 40% more likely to be adherent to their medications, compared to a group without caregivers.

So, caregivers can make a significant difference. But, they are unlikely to do so unless they are educated about their loved ones’ disease states, treatment options, and the best ways to ensure adherence. The problem is that there is little treatment-specific information available online. The reams of general information that is available may be of little use in our age of increasingly targeted therapies.

Fortunately, Artcraft Health Education can provide caregivers with most everything they need. Our service offering includes:

• Disease-state education 
• Education for caregivers on how to assist loved ones in choosing therapy options
• A wide variety of adherence aids, including:

• Education detailing the rationale behind and value of strict adherence 
• Appointment and medication reminders
• Usage instructions
• Injection kits
• Mobile and tablet tracker apps
• Demo injection pens with sound chips and scrolling instructions
• Infusion mats
• Pill organizers, dispensers, and vials
• Measured dosage dispensers

Over the years, being a caregiver has changed for the better. A wealth of great general health information can be found online. But, caregivers still need specialized education if they are to fulfill the promise of the latest medical advances. Contact Artcraft Health Education today and learn how our caregiver materials can help you improve health outcomes and achieve your marketing objectives.

Tom Savonick - Medical Writer

Happy 4th of July from Artcraft Health Education!