Attributes of effective health communication

Health communication requires communication strategies to inform and influence individuals and community on matters related to healthcare. Effective communication can increase the demand for appropriate health services.

According to an article I read online, there are eleven attributes of effective healthcare communication.

1. Accuracy

The content is valid and without errors of fact, interpretation, or judgment

2. Availability

The content is delivered or placed where the audience can access it.

3. Balance

The content presents the benefits and risks of potential actions or recognizes different and valid perspectives on the issue

4. Consistency

The content remains internally consistent over time and also is consistent with information from other sources

5. Cultural competence

The design, implementation, and evaluation process that accounts for special issues for select population groups and also educational levels and disability

6. Evidence base

Relevant scientific evidence that has undergone comprehensive review and rigorous analysis to formulate practice guidelines, performance measures, review criteria, and technology assessments for telehealth applications

7. Reach

The content gets to or is available to the largest possible number of people in the target population

8. Reliability

The source of the content is credible, and the content itself is kept up to date

9. Repetition

The delivery of/access to the content is continued or repeated over time, both to reinforce the impact with a given audience and to reach new generations

10. Timeliness

The content is provided or available when the audience is most receptive to, or in need of, the specific information

11. Understandability

The reading or language level and format are appropriate for the specific audience

The conclusion is the ethics, transparency, are innovation are the most crucial elements leading to the success on healthcare communication; the last but not least, how well it listened to patient needs can alter the outcome. It requires interaction among all stakeholders within the healthcare unit. Unlike other organizations, interpersonal communication is a key part of this interaction. Healthcare communication is a two-way show, both for information exchange and for effective content that may accompany the information.

"Caremunication"

As I was browsing for articles this week, I came across a website for a company, “Stamp & Chase”. The website includes a statement of “Why We’re Different”. It stated, “Caremunication -- Improving care by improving communication”. The company’s philosophy is that health care communication is complex and because of this, a different approach must be taken. They believe in holistic communication, which they say influences customer satisfaction, patient safety and the work environment. The focus is on front-line staff competencies and behaviors in diverse situations involving patients, families, physicians and colleagues. Primarily focusing on active listening to achieve real understanding and connection with others; emphasis is put on the “how” and not the “what”.

Something I find interesting is the need for a company with services like what Stamp & Chase offer. In other articles about healthcare communication, definitions included words such as influence, inform and awareness. Essentially, taking the basics of communication practices and molding them to influence, inform and make persons aware of medical information. In all my readings, the benefit of healthcare communication is increased interpersonal interactions. When all team members are able to communicate effectively, healthcare is enhanced. Is this not the foundation of what all healthcare personnel are trying to accomplish; to better their patient’s health? If this is true, it seems that healthcare communication should be at the very top of their to-do list.

Health Care Communication: A cluttered one.
I woke up one day, realizing that there was no dial tone on my home phone. Back then, cell phone was not in vogue, therefore, I felt that the only option that was left to me to keep in touch with the world was the public phones on the streets, while impatiently waiting for my home phone to be fixed. It turned out that it was not the best option, because coughing was all I did after I hang up with a friend whom I was speaking with from a public phone. I am guessing that I caught the virus from the phone’s handset.
As the days went by, my condition got progressively worse, to the point that my friends, my family, along with random strangers; would be giving me unrequested diagnostics of my case. They will say things like, “You are probably catching a cold, you should take some ‘Day Quill’…”, or “I am suspecting that it is probably an attack to pneumonia, if I were you, I would buy some Thera Flu”, and some of them suggested some natural remedies. Let alone, the variety of cough medicine that I saw on the shelves at Rite Aid. All of these created confusion in my mind, and I simply did not know which direction to go.
Some people may say they have not had this experience. Although, the reality may be that, they have just probably never experienced the clutter in this fashion, still have in a different fashion. The clutter occurs when you are receiving tons of information which for the most part conflicts with each other. For instance, someone may have chest pain, and before going to the doctor, decides to pay a visit to ‘You tube’. ‘Google’, ‘Ask Jeeves’, and so on. Each of these websites may suggest something different, yet evokes some sense of clutter in the mind of the reader. As a result, when the person finally made it to the doctor’s office, he or she is loaded with different causes of the chest pain as well as different ways to get rid of it; and he or she may feel reluctant to be corporative with the doctor’s instructions.
I honestly believe that the increase of technology will always cause health care communication to be bombarded with clutter. The reason is, as human, we like to try different options, because it takes away the burden of not having our curiosity satisfied.

Making The Workplace in Healthcare Fun

One of issues discussed in class this week was how health care organizations could make work more attractive and appealing to employees to the point where instead of dreading coming in in the morning they would dread leaving for home. And what does that have to say to job satisfaction and the overall success of the organization? Would happy doctors and nurses make happy patients? Would this attract health care professionals to seek employment at such an establishment because of the environment more than the paycheck? I suspect to some degree yes and would hope so.

For four summers between high school and college I worked at a summer camp in Yosemite National Park in central California. Why would someone from Michigan fly out to California to work at a summer camp? Well, for one thing, the environment. Yosemite is filled with some of the most breathtaking views of nature. Secondly, the monetary paycheck is not anything to boast about. However, the job satisfaction I felt made the check feel like lunch money. The difference I helped make in campers lives was worth it all and a factor for me returning year after year. Of course no organization is perfect and there are struggles but I can see how the degree of appeal makes a world of a difference

Transparency in Communication

You attend college to receive a degree in communications. Along the way you take classes that emphasize the importance of transparency and an open line of communication between parties. Then you graduate, get a job for a healthcare facility, and suddenly realize everything you've learned over the last 4+ years isn't necessarily how it works.

Although specific communication techniques and forums vary depending on what type of company or organization you are working for, theories stay the same. But this isn't necessarily true for the healthcare system. Although you, and some others, may be advocating for these theories to be put in place the rest of the administration and staff are not necessarily going to share your opinion.

There is one main difference between healthcare communication and non healthcare communication. Transparency. The more transparent a company the more people feel they can trust it, the more they will use that companies product or service, and the more successful that company is. But the healthcare system wants as little transparency as possible. Although there are a variety of reasons for this, it creates a mess of communication. Those in charge of communicating between publics for the healthcare system are supposed to do their job effectively but are expected to do it without actually communicating all, much less bits and pieces, of what is "really" going on. It seems transparency is believed to be the key to successful communication in all types of organizations, except healthcare. And whether or not the communication professionals agree with this isn't the main concern.

2/2 Lecture Outline

Tonight:

• Blogging status
• Report on new bookmark content.
• Reaction to "Running A Hospital" blog
• Begin discussion of leadership communication theories and practices.
• Empathic listening, driving out fear, shared values and meaning.
  

Status Check

I'll have some blogging grades for you next week. As of today, you should have two posts up on the class blog. Nancy and Reena - I have no posts for either of you. Cassie and Becky - I have just one from each of you. Please let me know ASAP if you're having difficulties.

In my comments on your posts, I've tried to make suggestions for further research, study or thought on the communications issues and challenges you've posed. Please pay attention to what your classmates are saying and my responses in the comments.