Communication: Health Professionals and Consumers

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1 Communication: Health Professionals and Consumers Presented by Madeline Y. Lawson President t & CEO Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural and Minority Medicine

2 Health Communication encompasses the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health. It links the domain of community and health and is increasingly recognized as a necessary element of efforts to improve personal and public health.

3 It can contribute to all aspects of disease prevention and health promotion and is relevant in a number of contexts, including: Health professional-patient patient relations Individual s s exposure to, search for, and use of health information Individual adherence to clinical recommendations and regimens Construction of public health messages and campaigns Dissemination of individual and population health risk information, that is risk communication Images of health in the mass media and the culture at large The education of consumers about how to gain access to the public health and healthcare system Development of telehealth application

Construction of public health messages and campaigns Dissemination of individual and population health risk information, that is risk communication Images of

4 Effective Health Communication Raise awareness of health risks and solutions Provide the motivation and skills needed to reduce these risks Help individuals find support from other people in similar situations Affect or reinforce attitudes.*

to reduce these risks Help individuals find support from

5 Increase demand for appropriate health services and decrease demand for inappropriate health services. Make available information to assist in making complex choices, such as selecting health plans, care providers, and treatments. *

Make available information to assist in making complex

6 Influence the public agenda Advocate for policies and programs Promote positive changes in the socioeconomic and physical environments Improve the delivery of public health and health care services Encourage social norms that benefit health and quality of life*

environments Improve the delivery of public health and health

7 Issues and Trends Cannot change systemic problems related to health, such as poverty, environmental degradation, or lack of access to health care Should include a systematic exploration of all the factors that contribute to health and the strategies that could be used to influence these factors

Should include a systematic exploration of all the factors that

8 Issues and Trends Help individuals better understand their own and their communities needs so that they can take appropriate actions to maximize health

9 Communication and Health Disparities Those with the greatest health burdens have the least access to information Programs will have limited impact if underserved communities lack access

10 Communication and Health Disparities People lack health literacy.* People with low health literacy are more likely to report poor health, have an incomplete understanding of their health problems and treatment, and be at greater risk of hospitalization.*

11 Opportunities As patients and consumers become more knowledgeable about health information, services, and technologies, health professionals will need to meet the challenge of becoming better communicators and users of information technologies.

technologies, health professionals will need to meet the

12 Opportunities Health professionals need: A high level of interpersonal skills to interact with diverse populations and patients who may have different cultural, linguistic, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds More direct training in and experience with all forms of computer and telecommunication technologies

cultural, linguistic, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds More direct

13 Opportunities In addition to searching for information, patients and consumers want to use technology to discuss health concerns, and health professionals need to be ready to respond.

14 Opportunities To support an increase in health communication activities, research and evaluation of all forms of health communication will be necessary to build the scientific base of the field and the practice of evidence-based health communication.

communication will be necessary to build the scientific base

15 References * Baker, D.W.; Parker, R.M.; Williams, M.V.; et al. The relationship of patient reading ability to self-reported health and use of health services. American Journal of Public Health 87: , PubMed; PMID Healthy People 2010 Information Access Project. Health Communication. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (n.d.). Retrieved on May 2, 2010 from: *HHS, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine (NLM). In: Selden, C.R.; Zorn, M.; Ratzan, S.; et al.; eds. Health Literacy, January 1990 Through NLM Pub. No. CBM Bethesda, MD: NLM, February 2000, vi. Piotrow, P.T.; Kincaid, D.L.; Rimon, II, J.G.; et al. Health Communication. Westport, CT: Praeger, * National Cancer Institute (NCI). Making Health Communications Work. Pub. No. NIH Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 1989.

Retrieved on May 2, 2010 from: http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/html/volume1/11healthcom.htm#_edn1 *HHS, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine (NLM). In: Selden, C.R.; Zorn, M.

7. Health Communication. Goal: Use communication strategically to improve and protect health.

7. Health Communication. Goal: Use communication strategically to improve and protect health. . Health Communication Goal: Use communication strategically to improve and protect health. Health Communication Goal for 2010: Use communication strategically to improve and protect health. Indicator