Maryland Dept. of Health
Behavioral Health Administration ( BHA)
Talk to Your Doctor Campaign
Since 2015, Maryland has been one of the states leading the fight against the opioid epidemic. The Maryland Department of Health’s Behavioral Health Administration has been proactive in educating the public regarding multiple subjects directly related to this crisis.
The Talk to Your Doctor (TTYD) public awareness campaign launched in late January 2018, was specifically designed to address the lack of doctor-patient communication around the potential harms and risks associated with opioid medication. The campaign’s purpose is to encourage individuals to engage in a conversation with their doctor when they or a loved one are being prescribed an opioid medication for pain. Guidelines from the FDA were incorporated into three scenarios and used to create the questions/answers on the Talk to Your Doctor website.
This multi-media campaign stresses the importance of talking candidly with your physician when being prescribed an opioid, since these medications can be highly addictive. The campaign’s proactive message is: “Speak Up. Ask Questions. Express Concerns. Talk to your doctor about opioid pain medications.” The campaign included, 3 public service announcements on TV, radio, movie theaters and medical office waiting rooms, radio spots in grocery stores/ pharmacies, one educational video, transit advertisements, minor league baseball stadium billboards, digital advertisements and printed materials. All messaging encourages the viewer to learn more by visiting the TalkToYouDoctor.org website. The website provides an educational video as well as downloadable questions that a patient can bring to their next visit with a medical professional.
Public Service Announcements
These three videos provide real life scenarios on when you should talk to your doctor about your opioid medication. The videos were featured on TV, movie theaters and medical office waiting rooms.
Daughter with elderly parents discussing medications
Construction worker in Emergency Department
Mother & son in Urgent Care ( Sports Injury)
Educational Video
Educational video located on TalktoYourDoctor.org website
Transit Advertisements
Based on the PSAs, transit messaging was created, and displayed across Maryland to include large metropolitan areas such as Baltimore City, Frederick, Ocean City, Towson, and Annapolis.
Bus in Ocean City, MD showcasing TTYD Campaign
Minor League Baseball Stadia
All six minor league baseball stadia partnered with BHA during the last three seasons
Digital Ads
Geo-targeted messages on mobile devices and social media platforms were utilized for the digital advertisements
Printed Advertisements
Targeted print advertisements appeared in six selected counties, based upon data obtained through the State’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP).
Talk to Your Doctor Brochure ( Tri- Fold)
Informational brochures provide patients with information on how to reduce their risk of an opioid over and a complete list of question to ask their doctor when being prescribed an opioid medication. A portion of the brochure is reserved so that patients can take notes while having a conversion with their medical professionals. Three versions were designed to reflect the three PSAs in English with one version in Spanish.
Printed examples of TTYD Brochures
Left - 3 English versions, Right- Spanish Version
TTYD Brochure English Versions Outside ( Based on PSAs)
TTYD Brochure English Version - Inside
TTYD Brochure Spanish Version - Left Outside, Right Inside
