By Dyanne Simpson, DO
[Summer 2007; Vol. 33, No. 3; Pg. 6, 14]
Both
the Maryland Psychiatric Society and the American Psychiatric Association lack
any formally structured approach to marketing efforts.
MPS and APA staff cite a number of reasons, including a questionable need
for a formal marketing program, significant costs for such efforts, an
overriding focus on membership recruitment and retention, and differences among
organizational leaders about the need for a structured approach to marketing.
As
professional societies, these organizations are directed by an ever-changing
leadership of members who serve on their boards.
The executive committees of these boards are comprised of members who
have served for significant lengths of time; this provides some continuity in
process, planning and execution of programs.
However, there is no clear overarching strategic plan for their changing
leadership to follow. Given
the rotating structure of their boards, committees and work groups, these
organizations have to focus only on short term goals and objectives.
As leadership changes, agendas shift and priorities change.
Without an overall strategic plan for the organization, volunteer leaders
are left to develop their own ideas about what long term goals exist.
With no plan in place, they rely on organizational staff to tell them
about the history of board decisions, the evolving processes, and the underlying
reasons for organizational directions.
The
Maryland Psychiatric Society describes itself as “member-centered,” and
works diligently to promote the practices of its members.
The MPS does not work to market psychiatry as a field, and staff notes
that local organizations tend to rely on the APA for broader marketing efforts
to benefit psychiatry as a whole.
Despite
a lack of an overall plan, the APA has made great efforts to collect relevant
market data through the use of focus groups.
As a result of this process, the organization has developed a program
called “Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives.”
This program involves providing information about specific psychiatric
problems, as well as differences among mental health providers and general
information about mental illnesses, to the public.
The APA has developed a Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives website, as well as
various brochures and informational pieces addressing specific issues. The
evolution of the Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives program started with the
assessment of focus group data that indicated many people correlate having good
mental health with having good physical health.
Focus
group data shows that the general public develops most of its ideas and images
about psychiatrists from movies.
When asked to name a psychiatrist, most of the focus group members named
either Sigmund Freud, or the characters Hannibal Lector or Frazier Crane.
Furthermore, most of the members were unable to name a single female
psychiatrist, and many asked, “Is Dr. Ruth a psychiatrist?”
Focus
group data also shows that while most people believe psychiatrists are well
educated, they also believe that they are not very trustworthy.
Most people said they did not trust psychiatrists, as compared to their
primary care physicians whom they felt were both well educated and trustworthy.
In the studies, focus group members were asked to rank family, clergy,
primary care doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists in terms of level of
training and degree of trustworthiness.
The data indicate that people rank their families, clergy, primary care
doctors and psychologists higher in the area of trust than psychiatrists.
Of
note, in comparison, most people did indicate that they felt psychiatrists had
more training than psychologists.
However, while most focus group subjects know that psychiatrists are
medical doctors, only half know that psychologists are not.
The
information is telling in many ways.
The first is that there are clearly identified image/perception issues
about psychiatrists among the general public.
The data suggest that most people do not think they should trust
psychiatrists. This
is an identified image problem that can be specifically targeted with a
structured marketing plan.
Another
issue is that while most people seem to know that a psychiatrist is a medical
doctor who went to medical school, they do not know that psychologists have not.
While the data indicate
that most people know there is a difference between psychologists and
psychiatrists, they do not have a clear understanding of the difference in
education or clinical licensure.
This particular issue is of great concern when psychologists are lobbying
for prescribing rights in many states.
If psychologists are able to prescribe, how much more clouded would this
issue become for consumers? And,
if psychologists are able to prescribe and the general public does not
understand the differences in skill, education and training between the two
types of practitioners, then why would it choose a psychiatrist over a
psychologist?
The
confusion about who is or is not a medical doctor is further complicated by the
growing number of osteopathic physicians choosing psychiatry.
Osteopaths or DOs are already subject to a great deal of confusion about
their education and training based on the existing inaccurate perception that
MDs are the only doctors with medical degrees.
In its presentation materials, even the APA neglects to point out that
both MDs and DOs specialize in psychiatry, and that both are physicians with
training that is distinctly different and in many ways more advanced than
psychologists.
Psychiatrists need to take a more active role in communicating with the general public. Our professional organizations should take the lead by developing marketing strategies that include a clearly defined professional identity for psychiatry, specific marketing goals, and targeted messages. The APA and MPS should set aside resources to develop strategic plans that include marketing components. These plans should work as roadmaps that guide the decisions of our revolving leadership toward focused short-term and long-term goals. Individual psychiatrists should be familiar with these plans and messages, so that we can speak with one voice to define our profession for the general public.
Dyanne
Simpson, D.O. is a 4th year resident currently completing an administrative
elective with Dr. Steven Sharfstein. The resident shadows Dr. Sharfstein,
attends all meetings with him and goes to the APA meetings as well.
Dr. Sharfstein requires a paper for this elective and this was Dyanne’s.