This paper examines health care communication from both personal and professional perspectives, addressing family caregivers, nursing students, and health care staff. It defines health care communication and explores the relevance of effective communication strategies in improving individual and community health decisions. The paper discusses how failures in communication contribute to poor patient outcomes, including medication errors and non-adherence to treatment regimens. It also reviews key therapeutic communication theories applicable to health care settings, including Peplau's Interpersonal Relations Theory, Berlo's Dyadic Interpersonal Communication Model, and Experiential Communication Theory, concluding with a note on cultural factors that further shape communication effectiveness.
Health care communication is defined as encompassing "the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health. It links the domains of communication and health and is increasingly recognized as a necessary element of efforts to improve personal and public health" (Healthy People, 2010, cited in University, 2012). It is also defined as "the art and technique of informing, influencing, and motivating individual, institutional, and public audiences about important health issues." The scope of health communication includes disease prevention, health promotion, health care policy, and the business of health care, as well as enhancement of the quality of life and health of individuals within the community (Healthy People, 2010, cited in University, 2012).
Nacinovich and Langdon-Neuner (2011) state that ongoing review and appraisal of health communication initiatives has confirmed the value of adopting specific communication strategies to promote health and ultimately facilitate the processes involved in the prevention and treatment of disease. Effective health communication strategies worldwide unite varied approaches, theories, and frameworks from a range of disciplines, including but not limited to communication, public relations, behavioral sciences, social marketing, and health education (p. 1).
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in the United States reports that health communication is "the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that affect health" (in Nacinovich and Langdon-Neuner, 2011, p. 1). It can therefore be understood that the relevance of effective personal health care communication lies in improved outcomes for the individual: the dissemination of information through health care communication enables both individuals and communities to make better-informed decisions about their health care.
The goal of minimizing drug errors is stated to be an important aspect of health care communications, specifically in the following areas: (1) assessment; (2) identification of practical and psychological barriers; (3) encouraging patients to ask questions; (4) anticipating the information that patients will need to understand their medications; (5) encouraging patients to express their fears and concerns; (6) encouraging full disclosure to reveal potential safety issues; and (7) ensuring clear communication about medication to lessen the chance of errors (JB Learning, n.d.). Communications are also important in improving the adherence behaviors of patients (JB Learning, n.d.).
The lack of effective personal and professional health care communication is linked to poor patient health outcomes. Specifically, patients may be prescribed medications that conflict with medications they are already taking, or they may fail to understand how and when to take their medications. Failure on the part of health care providers to communicate effectively may also result in a lack of patient adherence to health care regimens due to insufficient understanding.
Caregiving communications and information exchange are also described as critical to effective self-management (JB Learning, n.d.). Coleman and Newman (2005), as cited in JB Learning (n.d.), stress the importance of supporting self-management in patients with chronic illness. They note that this kind of support extends beyond traditional knowledge-based patient education to include patient problem-solving, self-efficacy, and the application of knowledge to real situations that are meaningful to the patient.
Peplau's Interpersonal Relations Theory, published in 1952, presented a conceptual framework describing the therapeutic process between the nurse and the client. This theory delineated four phases of the nurse-client relationship:
"Peplau, Berlo, and Experiential Communication Theory reviewed"
"Key findings summarized with cultural communication noted"
You’re 64% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 2 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.