What's New at Milner-Fenwick

Our New Look

For many years, Milner-Fenwick has been known as the “Patient Education People.”

We have a new logo and a new slogan, “Education for Better Health.” Both represent a broader identity as we reach out to patients and consumers as well as clinicians and educators. The new logo debuts in the new catalog and will be phased into new programs as they are produced.

“Our old logo held our initials inside of a television screen, which was typically how patient education was used in the past,” says Dolores McKee, Advertising Director. “The new logo emphasizes that Milner-Fenwick is bringing patient education video into the digital world, the direction for health education delivery in the future”.

McKee summarizes the change this way, “Our identity merges the best of patient education, accurate information, contemporary and accessible delivery systems, plus the importance of healthy lifestyles.”

New 2007 catalog released

Milner-Fenwick’s new and expanded patient education catalog is now available. Over 250 products are featured in this year’s 44-page edition including more than 30 new releases in such key areas as diabetes, wellness, asthma management, cardiology, and newborn care. Our wide variety of programs can help you better educate your patients in a hospital setting, a private practice, or even in their homes. Many programs are useful for community presentations or health promotion events.

The catalog also introduces a new product line, healthclips, a library of 2-4 minute clips for use on your web site, intranet, or on-demand video system. More than 150 clips will soon be available in cardiology, pulmonary disorders, diabetes, and healthy lifestyle topics. Custom services are also presented. To get your copy, call (800) 432-8433 or order online.

Asthma

According to the American Lung Association, nearly 30 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma. In 2004, asthma accounted for 1.8 million emergency department visits; 13.6 million visits to private physicians, and 1 million hospital outpatient visits.

With these sobering statistics as a backdrop, Milner-Fenwick is pleased to announce a 4-part series, Asthma Management, including:

These new programs follow the latest standards the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute’s National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. From illustrating the disease process, to demonstrating how to follow an asthma action plan and manage sick days, these programs help patients successfully control their symptoms.

According to Robert D. Barlipp, series consultant and Manager of Respiratory Care in the Pulmonary Function Lab at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, “Every effort was made to put together a presentation that would be complete, accurate to current standards, and structured for patients to learn and retain the cornerstones of asthma care. Even though these videos teach the basics of asthma care and follow-up, they are still generic enough for educators to use in customizing a care plan.”

Connie Weiershauser, CAE, Chronic Care Coordinator at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan, Texas purchased the videos on DVD after viewing them on-line. She is using them in asthma counseling sessions and in pulmonary rehab for those patients who have asthma. “The programs are easy to follow and give accurate information,” she says. “The pictures give the patients a visual connection to their disease, and show the tools to help them.”

Barlipp agrees. “Each step of care is well illustrated, and repeated throughout the series,” he says. “Patients are encouraged that if their asthma is well managed, they can live a normal life. The videos show real life challenges, and offer solutions that any new patient can identify with.”

Coordinator of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Summa Health System in Akron Ohio, Jennifer Andrus, AE-C says, “I’m happy to see the diversity of the patients. There’s someone for everyone to relate to. The content has everything I plan to cover in my asthma education program.”

Diabetes

Milner-Fenwick has just released a new 3-part DVD/video series, Diabetes Medications, produced with the American Association of Diabetes Educators. Featuring over 75 minutes of content, it’s one of the most extensive and up-to-date patient education resources available on this subject today. The series contains three new videos that can be bought individually: Understanding Insulin (versions available with or without amylin); Taking Insulin (five chapters including one devoted inhaled insulin); and Non-insulin Medications for Diabetes (includes sitagliptin along with a separate chapter on Byetta). Each program includes animation, step-by-step demonstrations, and a wide variety of graphics.

“Like all of our productions, this series has been extensively researched with many diabetes educators and clinicians prior to its release”, says Joanne Nabozny, Milner- Fenwick’s product development director. “ With the large number of new medications and delivery systems available it was a real challenge to create the content that was not only timely, but easily accessible for the patient.”

“Based on peer review feedback, we decided to design this series in DVD format first and VHS video as a secondary consideration. The DVD versions give you instant access to each chapter so you can tailor the presentation to the needs of each individual patient — even though the content is the same whether you buy in DVD or VHS format”.

What is Diabetes? (Type 2) and Preventing Long-Term Complication of Diabetes have been recently updated. Terminology has been changed for a number of common terms. These include substituting glucose for sugar, physical activity for exercise, and AIc for hemoglobin A1c. Metabolic animation has been revised to include insulin resistance and references to the old food guide pyramid have been eliminated. Other changes include using 2005 guidelines for physical activity, adding trans-fats to the list of foods to avoid, and including inhaled insulin. Check with your customer representative to see if you qualify for a trade-in allowance if you want to exchange an older version of either program for the updated release.

Cardiology

Several angiography and angioplasty videos have been updated with a second edition to reflect the newest technology and protocols associated with these procedures. These include:

“The angioplasty programs have been revised to include information about drug-eluting stents. New animation shows how these differ from bare metal stents. We explain that the drug-eluting stents have less of a risk of restenosis than just angioplasty or angioplasty with a bare metal stent,” according to producer Lee Ricketts.

*“The other crucial message we want patients to understand about drug-eluting stents is the importance of following proper drug protocols to reduce the risk of blood clots after the procedure is done.”

Susan Baumer, RN, BC is a staff cardiac rehab nurse at Porter Hospital in Valparaiso, Indiana and gives the home video, After Your Angioplasty, as a gift to all her angioplasty patients. “For us, it’s a way to reach patients beyond the hospital since they are here for such a short time. The more times they hear things, the better.”

The new medication information is especially important to Susan. “Some patients can’t afford all their medications and unfortunately they make choices on their own. I tell them that all of their medications are important but it is essential not to go off this one.”

If you’d like to learn more about stents and antiplatelet medications, go to this American Heart Association article: www.americanheart.org/presenter

Milner-Fenwick has been collaborating with the Cleveland Clinic on a heart attack recovery series which should be available mid-year. The programs include Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack, Preparing to Leave the Hospital After a Heart Attack, and a home video, After a Heart Attack: Recovery at Home.

Carrie Beaudoin, series producer, explains, “After a heart attack, leaving the hospital can be a very stressful step for many patients. The two post-MI programs will provide practical information patients need for a successful recovery. One works short-term as a bridge to the first follow-up visit and the other focuses on long-term recovery strategies.”

Healthy Lifestyle Changes

An emphasis on wellness and health promotion is a trend that is not going away any time soon. Healthcare providers and employers are taking a greater interest in prevention in order to hold down or simply slow down the crushing increase in healthcare costs.

This is a national trend according to the Wall Street Journal. In a recent article, Cadmus, a publishing services company in Richmond, VA, credits an increase of $500,000 in healthcare costs last year to a two-year old wellness program. An increase of that size may not sound like progress, but this was a 75% reduction from their $2 million increases in each of the previous four years. Mandatory screenings, stepped up treatment for chronic conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol, and a sharp reduction in hospital stays were major factors in turning things around. Cindy Ellis, Benefits Manager at Cadmus, says, “Catching something early is cheaper than a catastrophic event.”

To support your health promotion activities, Milner-Fenwick has been actively updating their collection of general health programs. A key part of this effort includes their Healthy Lifestyle Changes series. These programs emphasize behavioral change theory and focus on achievable short-term goals. The programs include:

Milner-Fenwick has also produced Overweight: Who’s in Control?, several weight control programs for teens and children, assorted new nutrition programs, and an update of Living With Stress.

Now Preview On-line in Flash!

Over 100 of our most recent releases can now be previewed over the Internet, right from your computer 24/7! Recently we’ve converted to Flash format, which should give you the best streaming viewing experience possible. Previously you needed Internet Explorer to view programs and Mac users could not stream at all. This is no longer the case. To learn more, and to see if your desired title can be previewed on-line, click Preview On-line Today on our home page. If you see a Play button next to a program description, the program is streamable.

For any of these programs, contact your sales representative at (800) 432-8433 or go to milner-fenwick.com for more information.

Add Streaming Video To Your Web Site

Computer Couple

If you'd like to extend the reach of your educational message to patients at home or to the community at large, Milner-Fenwick can now place our videos on your Web site. Video streaming brings a new dimension to patient education and makes your internet site more dynamic than previously possible.

Call your customer representative at (800) 432-8433 for more information on this new service.

Patient Education Update- News, Views, and Resources in Health EducationSpring 2007