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Reach and Impact of a Mass Media Event Among Vulnerable Patients: The Terri Schiavo Story

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Abstract

Background

It is unknown whether health-related media stories reach diverse older adults and influence advance care planning (ACP).

Objective

To determine exposure to media coverage of Terri Schiavo (TS) and its impact on ACP.

Design and Participants

Descriptive study of 117 English/Spanish-speakers, aged ≥50 years (mean 61 years) from a county hospital, interviewed six months after enrollment into an advance directive study.

Measurements

We assessed whether participants had heard of TS and subject characteristics associated with exposure. We also asked whether, because of TS, subjects engaged in ACP.

Main Results

Ninety-two percent reported hearing of TS. Participants with adequate literacy were more likely than those with limited literacy to report hearing of TS (100% vs. 79%, P < .001), as were participants with ≥ a high school vs. < high school education (97% vs. 82%, P = .004), and English vs. Spanish-speakers (96% vs. 85%, P = .04). Because of TS, many reported clarifying their own goals of care (61%), talking to their family/friends about ACP (66%), and wanting to complete an advance directive (37%).

Conclusions

Most diverse older adults had heard of TS and reported that her story activated them to engage in ACP. Media stories may provide a powerful opportunity to engage patients in ACP and develop public health campaigns.

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Acknowledgements

Dr. Sudore and this study were supported by the American Medical Association Foundation; the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging K07 AG000912; the National Institutes of Health Research Training in Geriatric Medicine Grant: AG000212; the Pfizer Fellowship in Clear Health Communication; the NIH Diversity Investigator Supplement 5R01AG023626–02; and an NIA Mentored Clinical Scientist Award K-23 AG030344–01. Dr. Schillinger was supported by an NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award UL1 RR024131.

The abstract of this paper was presented at the Society of General Internal Medicine conference in April 2007.

Conflict of Interest Statement

Dr. Sudore is funded in part by the Pfizer Foundation through the Clear Health Communication Fellowship. The Pfizer foundation was not involved in the design, acquisition of data, analysis, interpretation of the results, or the writing of this manuscript. No other authors report a conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Geriatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Rebecca L. Sudore MD, C. Seth Landefeld MD & Kathryn M. Noyes BS

  2. San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Rebecca L. Sudore MD, C. Seth Landefeld MD & Kathryn M. Noyes BS

  3. Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Rebecca L. Sudore MD, C. Seth Landefeld MD, Steven Z. Pantilat MD & Dean Schillinger MD

  4. UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Dean Schillinger MD

Authors
  1. Rebecca L. Sudore MD
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  2. C. Seth Landefeld MD
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  3. Steven Z. Pantilat MD
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  4. Kathryn M. Noyes BS
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  5. Dean Schillinger MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rebecca L. Sudore MD.

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Sudore, R.L., Landefeld, C.S., Pantilat, S.Z. et al. Reach and Impact of a Mass Media Event Among Vulnerable Patients: The Terri Schiavo Story. J GEN INTERN MED 23, 1854–1857 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0733-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0733-7

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