As part of the on-going activity around the HeartSmart^TM programme, MSD invited doctors' surgeries to “get creative” by decorating their waiting and consulting rooms in a HeartSmart^TM theme.

The aim of HeartSmart^TM Week was to ensure that all male patients over 45 and female patients over 55 who visited their doctor knew their risk of heart disease.  Surgery staff were encouraged to spread the HeartSmart^TM message to visiting patients and to help them learn about the risk factors of heart disease and fill out the HeartSmart^TM checklist to see how they rated. 

Surgery staff really got into the spirit of the programme by wearing HeartSmart^TM t-shirts or red clothing, decorating the waiting and consulting rooms with red hearts and balloons, displaying healthy heart messages and placing heart cushions and soft toys.   One surgery even made up their own CD of special heart-themed songs which played as patients waited for their appointment.  Many offered free blood pressure checks during their HeartSmart^TM week.

Here are photos of two of the three winning entries from Temple View Medical Clinic in Hamilton and the Ngongotaha Medical Centre.

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The HeartSmart™ programme is an educational initiative developed by Merck Sharp & Dohme.  HeartSmart™ and the HeartSmart™ logo are trademarks of Merck Sharp & Dohme (NZ) Ltd.

12-04-GEN-03-NZ-4252-O

TAPS NA8611