Awareness

Similar or Alternative Terms Meaning the Same Thing	Disease Awareness
Related Term(s)	Acceptance, Action, AAA, Three A's, Help-Seeking Ad

Relating to a stage in a patient's behaviorial progression with regard to a medical condition in which the patient is just finding out about the condition and whether it pertains to him or her.

Addiction recovery programs often refer to three stages of behavior leading to recovery: Awareness, Acceptance, and Action. This progression may be called "The Three A's" and is used as a tool to help people come to terms with their addiction.

The same behaviorial progression is seen with patients coming to terms with a chronic medical condition.

Patients need different information from prospects and marketing messages need to change as prospects go through the behavioral progression starting at Awareness (just finding out about the condition and whether it pertains to them), moving to Acceptance (the potential risk has been personalized and the prospect is considering seeking information and/or evaluation), and finally arriving at Action (ready to talk with physician about treatment or is already on therapy).

Pharmaceutical marketers often use the term "Disease Awareness" and try to increase the market size of a therapeutic area by using DTC advertising and physician marketing to "build" awareness of a particular medical condition. An example would be ads for "overactive bladder," which have been successful in building awareness among consumers of a medical condition (urinary incontinence or urgency) that many thought was only of concern for senior citizens.