Professional Intervention: Mass Media

Definition: Varied use of communication that reached great numbers of people including television, radio, newspapers, posters, leaflets, and booklets, alone or in conjunction with other interventions; (ii) targeted at the population level.

Effectiveness: Two high quality reviews (Faulkner, Grilli) were identified. One review (Grilli) found mass media to be generally effective for improving appropriate care immediately after implementing the intervention, but these effects declined over time in half of the studies; there was insufficient evidence found for the effect of mass media on prescribing outcomes. One review (Faulkner) had an insufficient number of studies to draw any conclusions about the intervention.

Summary of Overall Findings from Reviews: 1/1 high quality/key reviews with a sufficient number of studies to draw conclusions found this intervention to be generally effective.

Summary of Findings Related to Prescribing: No high quality or key reviews with a sufficient number of studies to draw conclusions about prescribing outcomes were identified.

Reviews Addressing This Intervention Quality Assessment Tool:
AMSTAR Score (of 11 points)
Faulkner A, Mills N, Baxter K, Kinnersley P, Peters TJ, Sharp D. A systematic review of the effect of primary care-based service innovations on quality and patterns of referral to specialist secondary care. British Journal of General Practice 2003 53 (496):878-884. 8 (High)
Grilli R, Ramsay C, Minozzi S. Mass media interventions: effects on health service utilisation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2002 (1):CD000389. 8 (High)
Ranji SR, Steinman MA, Shojania KG, Gonzales R. Interventions to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing: a systematic review and quantitative analysis. Medical Care 2008 46 (8):847-862. 6 (Medium)
Haynes RB, Davis DA, McKibbon A, Tugwell P. A critical appraisal of the efficacy of continuing medical education. Journal of the American Medical Association 1984 251 (1):61-64. 5 (Medium)