title: Impact of branding on public awareness of healthcare-related governing bodies: a pilot study of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand brand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the general public's understanding of urologists and of the Urological Society of Australian and New Zealand (USANZ) and gauge the effectiveness with which the USANZ disseminates health information about urological conditions to health consumers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using prostate cancer as an example, a Qualtrics online market survey of Australian healthcare consumers recruited from an online pool was conducted. The number of districts sampled within each state or territory was proportional to the size of the target population within each region and were proportionately distributed across metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Demographic characteristics were comparable with the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census figures corresponding to the target age group. The survey assessed knowledge of the roles of medical specialties through open-ended responses to qualitative items, association tasks, and recall/recognition questions. Subjects were asked to rate their familiarity of medical specialists and of six medical specialty logos.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 302 respondents. Subjects indicated less awareness of urology vs other medical specialties, were relatively unaware that urologists were concerned with the prostate, and the USANZ branding was among the least familiar (P < 0.001, Friedman test). When asked the first medical specialist that came to mind when told of prostate cancer, only 22% wrote urologist.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The general public has a limited understanding of urologists and of the USANZ. Sub-brand names that explicitly link urologists to urological conditions, has been suggested as a means to increase the public's understanding of urologists and of the USANZ, and improve the USANZ's ability to promulgate urological health information.
authors: School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia. troygianduzzo@gmail.com.|Department of Urology, The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Qld, Australia. troygianduzzo@gmail.com.|Department of Urology, The Wesley Hospital, Brisbane, Qld, Australia. troygianduzzo@gmail.com.|School of Business, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia. troygianduzzo@gmail.com.
authors: Troy R J
authors: TR
authors: Gianduzzo
authors: School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.|Department of Urology, The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors: Robert A
authors: RA
authors: Gardiner
authors: Department of Urology, Port Macquarie Base Hospital, Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia.
authors: Prem
authors: P
authors: Rashid
authors: School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors: Rhys
authors: R
authors: Young
authors: Department of Surgery, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Frydenberg
authors: School of Business, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014572:Urology / Q000193:education*
keywords: consumer health information; marketing of health services; prostatic neoplasms; urological diseases