CPAP Education Outreach

[OkyDoky]

The key would be to reach a person when they are least distracted.
I would like to put posters in public rest rooms, pointing out the link between apnea and nocturia,
or deadly driving microsleep events--a good place for an easy link to online information about apnea.
Maybe even 'glamour' shots of cpap in use; actually, there could be a lot more positive images online.
Remember planking, and numerous other memes--think "papping".

How about when they are filling up at a gas station? Sleep Apnea can be deadly!

[Krelvin]

THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO COULD IMPLEMENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN DOING SO.

That would be the Doctors that are seeing the patients.. In many cases the Doctors themselves are uneducated or simply don't care (or don't give a shit).

Insurance companies don't care, all they want is their compliance which isn't real therapy at all if that is all you are meeting.

DME's both don't care and won't spend the money on it, and they are really after the fact anyway and would not be the first line of information.

I don't see that changing at all any time any time into the future.

There is no other avenue that would actually works since who would pay attention to it. People who need it but don't know? Why would they care?

BTW some campaigns for like say "Quitting tobacco" cost hundreds of millions of dollars and people still smoke.

Basically end of topic.

[JQLewis]

THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO COULD IMPLEMENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN DOING SO.

That would be the Doctors that are seeing the patients.. In many cases the Doctors themselves are uneducated or simply don't care (or don't give a shit).

Insurance companies don't care, all they want is their compliance which isn't real therapy at all if that is all you are meeting.

DME's both don't care and won't spend the money on it, and they are really after the fact anyway and would not be the first line of information.

I don't see that changing at all any time any time into the future.

There is no other avenue that would actually works since who would pay attention to it. People who need it but don't know? Why would they care?

BTW some campaigns for like say "Quitting tobacco" cost hundreds of millions of dollars and people still smoke.

Basically end of topic.

Of course people still smoke. Do you expect some kind of magic that will change things overnight? There has however been a tremendous reduction in smoking.

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statist ... /index.htm

Defeatist attitudes accomplish nothing.

[LDuyer]

(I'm typing this on a break from some tedious writing, so I welcome a change from my boredom )

Personally, I think your discussion of outreach is perfectly fine. Don't feel defeated.

Hey, when I was diagnosed, few people had heard of the term sleep apnea. Sleep what?? Happily I had a doctor who had heard of it.

Now, the phrase is mentioned often. As a result, some inscrupulous marketers saw a new condition to try and make a buck, selling products that don't work. But on the flip side, there was a push to make more products through the reputable means, more masks, different features, etc.

And because of the familiarization of the name, more google to find it, to learn more, and pester their doctors more; and it's mentioned more on television. And also now, social media adds to information.

It may not necessarily be untreated patients who are searching; often it's their family members and friends looking for them.

They find the forums. So the best thing, IMHO, is to be friendly and welcoming and choc-full of information. ... emphasis on the welcoming and choc-full of information.

And if you want seed money, get cpap.com to create commercials. Remember, they are a DME.


But talking about outreach never hurts. .... again, IMHO. I guess I'm optimistic, because I remember a time when people were suffering and never even heard of sleep apnea.

[cathyf]

One really good outreach method is to write a letter to Dear Abby. Something very succinct and clear is best. Abby has posted many letters over the years about tips to stop snoring, etc., and maybe a letter that focuses on the stereotype of the overweight male with the big neck and how there are lots of thin people and women who have apnea, too. Add in the tip about nocturia -- people associate snoring with apnea and don't know about this.

Maybe tell a story... One of the guys I work with made a comment about having a full face mask and having his mustache tickle his nose all night. Then we started talking about our CPAP machines, and he told the story of how he got his first one. His wife kept nagging him because she said he stopped breathing at night, but he didn't have insurance and didn't want to dive into something expensive. They were arguing about it in line at the Wal-Mart, and the lady behind them in line butted in to the conversation and said that her husband had died 3 years before and she had all of his CPAP stuff -- machine, mask, etc. -- in a box in her closet and didn't know what to do with it and if they wanted it they could have it. He used the machine and mask for 5 years until he got his current job and got insurance and was able to get a new one. It sort of puts those people who get machines with insurance and then don't use them in a different perspective!

[chunkyfrog]

Those people in "barely jobs" traditionally have poorer healthcare than those who have no jobs at all.
Retail and food service employees are in that category. We can reach out to these people one on one,
with still-usable equipment and supplies.

[JQLewis]

The key to getting out any kind of message at all, it seems to me, is organization. Single voices are ignored. Small organizations are ignored. There was an effort along these lines mounted here about six years ago or so. I can barely find any remaining references to it, and apparently the people involved in that effort are gone. In the intervening six years there's been a little movement towards recognition of the condition, a bit more public awareness. The far reaching impact of the condition is becoming clearer. Weary driving, the link to cancer, etc.. What seems to be missing now is a way to spark passion in the patient community. To penetrate the apathy. To make people believe that action is valuable. I'd welcome any suggestions as to how to get such an effort off the ground.

Once there's an organization, the natural alliances are plentiful. Dear Abby. Posters in gas stations. Celebrity endorsements (Quincy Jones, Rosie O’Donnell, Adam Savage of MythBusters, Regis Philbin, Shaquille O’Neal, Pen Jillette, Randy Jackson, William Shatner and Warren Sapp). Other, related health organizations. There's a lot of strategies which could yield good results, but they're only available to a group which represents a significant percentage of the people affected by the condition.

[Julie]

It would be nice if someone (knowledgable & experienced) could start a fundraiser that would pay for ? weekly/monthly/quarterly big ads on facebook, TV, the small daily papers that are read by those who normally don't read e.g. NY Times. It's a question of blanketing the public who otherwise wouldn't pay attention. Good luck.