Health promotion for captive audience.

Patients waiting for appointments in medical centres and hospitals will soon be watching health-related internet programming, if two companies vying for a market share are successful. Comparative newcomer Health TV is offering to supply medical centres with free equipment, including large LCD screens and broadband connections. Editorial director Stuart Richardson says about 200 medical centres have signed up, including 35 in the South Island.

Both Health TV and MedTV, which has been operating since 2003, have run internet pilots in North Island centres and are expecting to roll out their services nationwide this year. Neither company allows advertising for prescription medication or junk food, though both are heavily dependent on advertising (around 35 percent of content) to fund their services. Much of it will come from government departments like the Accident Compensation Corporation. Health TV describes its aims as "to engage, educate and entertain patients as they wait to see their health professional". It promises to cover health and lifestyle topics ranging from diet and exercise through to disease prevention, parenting, relationship and even business advice. It also promises a large entertainment component, including New Zealand music videos, interviews with national icons and profiles of prominent people in the arts and sciences. MedTV claims its health promotion videos and programming will contribute to reducing health inequalities by improving awareness of health issues among patients. It says its editorial content is based around the Ministry of Health's 13 population health goals and objectives. Programmes can be tailored to different medical centres to meet the needs of particular population groups.

Research by AC Nielson following a Health TV three-month trial last year in five medical centres in Auckland and Wellington showed high viewer satisfaction. However, not all responses have been positive, with some medical centre staff finding the programming intrusive and inappropriate. Practice nurse at Wellington's Khandallah Medical Centre, Sue Grigg, sees its potential as a patient education and information tool, but would have preferred more localised information. She would like to see the service develop further. Clinical co-ordinator at the Apollo Centre for Health and Wellbeing in Albany, Auckland, Sue Dawkins, said staff at their large, 20-GP practice were looking forward to getting the service permanently, though she admitted some staff found the content repetitive. "It provides patients with sensible advice and reinforces the messages we want to give to patients."