Get Involved
Why should you support the Know Your Pulse campaign?
The problem…
In the UK,
- More than 2 million people have an arrhythmia (diagnosed and undiagnosed).
- 120,000 people experience unexplained loss of consciousness each year.
- 100,000 sudden cardiac deaths each year; the equivalent of 250 people per day.
- 30 per cent of adults and 39 per cent of children are misdiagnosed with epilepsy when in fact they have a heart rhythm disorder.
- Sudden cardiac arrest leads to more deaths worldwide than breast cancer, lung cancer and AIDS combined.
The goal…
Arrhythmia Alliance is working to make pulse checks routine procedure when someone visits their GP surgery. By raising awareness of this simple health check procedure, more people can be diagnosed and treated for potentially lethal cardiac arrhythmias.
What your help means to us…
We need your help and support to make pulse checks routine procedure in GP surgeries.
We believe that your efforts, no matter how big or small, will help to raise public and medical awareness of cardiac arrhythmias in the UK.
Help us to achieve routine procedural pulse checks in GP surgeries
There are many ways in which you can get involved and help raise awareness of heart rhythm disorders and sudden cardiac death during AAAW 2010!
To help you, we provide all participants with educational literature and promotional materials.
You can help to raise awareness all year round – it is never too early to start planning your event!
Here are just a few ideas for you to 'Get Involved'...
'Post Posters' and 'Leave Leaflets' in your community
The most important part of Arrhythmia Awareness Week is raising public and medical awareness of cardiac arrhythmias. This is successfully achieved through the distribution of booklets and promotional items to local medical centres, schools, libraries, GP surgeries, leisure centres and other community centres.
To 'post posters' and 'leave leaflets' in your area, order your 'Posters and Leaflets Pack'
No.10 Government E-Petition – Calling all supporters to sign...
A-A has tabled an e-petition on the Downing Street website for all members to help ensure routine procedural pulse checks in GP surgeries. Please take a couple of minutes to sign the petition by visiting http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/KnowYourPulse/
With enough signatures the government has to formally respond.
Write to your MP or local press
A-A has template letters and press releases that can be used in your area to raise awareness of cardiac arrhythmias. You can send a letter to your MP asking them to promote the Know Your Pulse campaign and encourage local constituents to download the Pulse Check Card.
A-A has also created a template press release that you can use to promote your Awareness Week activity in the local media.
Visit http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/ to find your local MP!
Share your story with us
Without your stories we have no voice. Help us to reach other patients.
While the facts and statistics on arrhythmias are startling more often it is your personal stories that help to raise awareness of the signs, symptoms and dangers of heart rhythm disorders.
This is why we really need your help. Would you be happy to share your story via our website, or be interviewed by a journalist for the health section of a magazine or national newspaper?
If you would like to share your story then please email this form to joanna@heartrhythmcharity.org.uk We can then contact you to talk through in more detail about what you would be happy to be involved in with no pressure to be involved if you change your mind!
If you represent an affiliated group, please can you ask your members – it is a good opportunity to raise awareness of your organisation and your condition.
Write to the Director of Public Health in your region
Ask the health authority in your area to answer questions about the use of pulse checks.
Use this template letter to send to your Director of Public Health in your region. A list of the Directors of Public Health in England can be found here.
We would welcome feedback from you on the reply you receive.