Health Communication: Skills, Forms, and Methods - Coursework Example

Health Communication: Skills, Forms, and Methods Introduction To begin with, it should be put forward, as a part of the introductory section, the suggestions on the importance of effective communication in health settings. Thus, in order for being validated as effective, Health Communication should be based predominantly on its broad definition (from the theoretical point of view) and Health Professional skills, moral values, and professional qualities, which can employ such understanding (from the practical point of viewing). Also, as it will be mentioned, effective Health Communication should be focused on reasoning of the main purposes, methods and models of Health Communication, its forms, and on a set of additional skills. However, latter element shows us the importance of applying of such information toward the cases of real life, one of which will be examined thoroughly further on. Intentional Aim of Interaction In order to identify the intentional purpose of the interaction from the health professional point of view, in Chapter 1 of our investigation on Health Communication, “Intentional Aim of Interaction,” the appropriateness and effectiveness of the approach to communication taken by the Health Professional will be discussed. In general, based on observation taken from the video and, therefore, providing observation of an interaction between a Health Professional and a client (C), accompanied by a family member (F), it is necessary to evaluate the communication skills (also, goals, models/methods, and forms of health communication) used with reference to the literature. It means, as for Chapter 1, which focused on intentional targets of interaction, that references will be as follows: Communicating Health: Strategies for Health Promotion by Nova Corcoran, 2007, Understanding Human Communication by Richard Adler and George Rodman, 2006, and Barry’s Health Communication: Theory and Practice, 2007. Concerning Kim’s situation, main purpose of interaction, from HP perspective, was to make a decision about the partners’ fourth baby. All HP gestures, expressions, postures, positions, tone of voice, eye contact, body, verbal and non-verbal behaviours were concentrated around this principal aim of interaction, the fourth baby decision. After giving a broad perspective of intentional aims in the interaction within Health Communication, it will be possible to see where are another hidden purposes in the aforesaid context. So, it seems to be logical to start from the definition of Health Communication in order to get an appropriate understanding of the intentional aim via the concept. Accordingly, “communication is linked to the social environment in which it is taken place,” (Morrell, 2001, p. 33) and, therefore, individual difference cannot be examined in isolation of other variables or processes that also account for communicative action. (Street, 2002, p. 201) According to Nova Corcoran and Sue Corcoran, who have been examined social, which “include variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, and education,” (2007, p. 32) and psychological factors, which “refer to attitudes, beliefs, and values,” (2007, p. 32) within the health communication, intentional aims of interaction could be divided into four big parts or sub-divisions: personal, social, psychological, and those going from wider environment. Thus, interaction’s intentional target could be represented as being always connected with a multitude of intentions: personal goals, those which are not reflected and are not mentioned consciously by the person (for example, emotional drives and subjective intentions); social distinctions (i.e. age, sex, gender, ethnicity, education, etcetera), which determine HP and C, F intentional targets directly or indirectly; then, psychological patterns of the individual (attitudes, beliefs, and values), which are held rationally in a coherent manner in his/her mind and actions; ultimately, wider environment’ factor influences on the intentional purposes of HP in the varying contexts, due to different types of activity, individual and social one, and to their variable implementation in the real life. Furthermore, which outcomes concerning Kim’s situation should we get from such theoretical explanations? Forcing a thesis that instead of simply intended HP aims we must explicate rather intended-social and intended-psychological motives for interaction, it becomes evident that a very definition of the HP intended goals in aforesaid case must be split in order to produce personal, social, psychological, and wider motives for the interaction within the F, as the scientists state that “psychological sex role can be more of an influence than biological sex”. (Adler and Rodman, 2006, p. 108) Specifically, HP personal goals cannot be easily specified even by herself; her social goals in the case could be presented in such way: if she did not make the intervention into the family house, she perhaps would be dismissed so it was her regular mission as a HP; her psychological expectations would be met only in case of working thoroughly as a HP, with a complex of professional ethic values (Barry, 2007); therefore, successful salvation of the issue with the fourth child should be regarded as her moral obligatory and also the question of her inward intention and inner comfort. Methods and Models of Communication In Chapter, “Methods and Models of Communication,” dedicated to the most relevant methods and models in Health Communication, firstly a cycle of authors whose considerations constructed a solid basis for our thorough analysis should be explicated. Among them, Adler and Rodman, 2006; Corcoran, 2007; Barry, 2007. In general, in Health Communication such cognitive platforms for the effective interaction should be focused on: firstly, personal model; then, social model; furthermore, psychological method (Corcoran, 2007); ultimately, environmental method (see implications for the case). Within a private dimension, verbal and non-verbal behaviours should be suitable for the specific context in C life, in order to exclude hostility, aggression, negative feeling, and lack of mutual responsibility and respectability between the parties; on the contrary, introduction, questions, listening, and explanations must create a sufficient practical and theoretical, rational and emotional background for the effective interaction of the parties. Then, social manner, model, or method could be applied as a set of impersonal assertions about C’s age, gender, education, ethnicity, sex, socio-economic class, and culture, because individual differences of private dimension can not be examined in isolation of other variables that are also accountable for communicative action (therefore, respect, explanation, listening, questions, even non-verbal cues are vital). (Adler and Rodman, 2006) As it was claimed by the researcher, social factors “impact on an individual’s attitudes, beliefs, or values to performing behaviours and thereby need high priority.” (Corcoran, 2007, p. 36) Moreover, psychological method, being based on certain private and social assumptions, could be defined through the successful implementation of values, attitudes, and beliefs, which factors can help use to develop your effectiveness as HP (knowledge of C’s basic assertions, values, beliefs, or attitudes, is necessary when some social or private factors are able to diverse your positions with those of C’s). Finally, environmental method, as a point of wider perspective (than private, social, and psychological factors), should be represented as a presentiment of variables of different orders and dimensions, which can easily interrupt the relationships between the parties (for example, economic situation, problems with relatives, state troubles, climate changes, environmental catastrophe, etcetera). (Barry, 2007) Forms of Communication This Chapter, “Forms of Communication,” will be focused on relevant elements of interaction between HP and C/F, referencing the case to the corresponding literature. Based on Kim’s plot, a coherent vision of such vital element in the structure of Health Communication should be given, with a hegemonic role of HP in constructing such a unity with a means of intentionally created interaction, which can be certainly treated as not only multi-dimensional in object, but also as plural concerning its concrete multi-subjectivity (HP, C, and F). In order to understand the aforesaid issue properly, it is necessary to base on such authors: Barry’s Health Communication: Theory and Practice, 2007, Ewles and Simnett’ Promoting Health. A Practical Guide, 2003, and Brown, Crawford, and Carter’ Evidence-based Health Communication, 2006. So, firstly, the forms of Health Communication should be presented, then, they should be attributed to the definite traits, and, ultimately, such a set of forms by the case’ episodes should be illustrated. Thus, among the key phases of the interaction an importance of nine elements as the forms of Health Communication must be stressed predominantly. In fact, they are in the chronological and meaningful order: introductions; questions; listening activity; explanations; expectations; positive/negative feelings; building a relationship; closing the session. Certainly, some phases of the session are facultative and non-obligatory, but there is a strong mental order and inner logic in these elements’ implementation toward the case. For example, introduction begins, then questions arise, being prolonged with the corresponding listening activity, as it was stated “focused questions so as to enable more dialogue with the patient, which also is believed to lead to more efficient data gathering about symptoms,” (Brown, Crawford, 2006, p. 32) then explanations are provided by the HP; on the contrary, expectations’ and positive/negative feelings’ issues as the peculiar and independent stages are not necessary; but, definite emotions, feelings, and relationship can be build in order to prove a fact that session was taken place between people, being finished by the closure. (Barry, 2007) Furthermore, introduction must introduce the HP and greet the C appropriately, clarifying what the purpose of the visit is; it can be consisted from both verbal and non-verbal behaviours for establishing the connection/rapport between the parties; the specific examples of introductions will be seen further, on the episodes of the concrete case. Then, questions should be helpful to maintain the credibility between the parties, developing interactivity in the interaction; their order should be build from the more formal to the less formal, even private or intimate. Listening is relevant to employ active listening skills, providing both respectability and immersion into the conversation, making parties to understand each other better and deeper; combining with explanations, they can deep the interactivity of the interaction between the partners, HP, C, and F. Accordingly, verbal and non-verbal explanations may be used by HP to make information easier to understand and remember, using such mnemonic techniques as signposting, repetition, summarizing, checking, others; therefore, questions and explanations can easily produce the emotional response between the parties; from the other perspective, being strongly concentrated around respectability, emotional response has a few chances to become negative. Only with respectability, from a therapeutic point of view, interest, drive, and motivation for the C as a unique person should be shown; via respectability, the C cues, verbal and/or non-verbal, should be picked up trying to address her/his emotional needs. Ultimately, before having the session closed, it should be stated that HP-C rational and emotional line, which “are more likely to identify aspects of emotional or mental well-being as part of idea of health,” (Ewles and Simnett, 2003, p. 5) have been designed, building a relationship between the parties; in order to develop this phase, HP’ facial expression, posture, position, eye contact, and tone of voice must be sufficient enough, demonstrating appropriate, from the HP’ point of view, non-verbal behaviours. (Ewles and Simnett, 2003) As for the case, firstly, they offered her a seat, serving as a non-verbal introduction (“involved into relations”). Then, she first began to discuss issue with the Kim, as questions, providing intimate intensity between the parties (they are both identifying each other). Furthermore, she repeats to clarify understanding, explaining with good eye contact and good tone of voice, and using appropriate language with empathy; so, offering to help Kim and support her with the new baby, HP provides explanations, correlating with the high emotional response. Kim’s emotional feedback enables the creation of respectability, because when Kim talks about her children (HP listening phase in the interaction), HP demonstrates sympathy and shows sign of nervousness in her body language (using of non-verbal cues, addressing the emotional needs of the C). Without negative feeling in the cooperation process of co-action, they were managed to build up the strong relationship. As it was claimed, “socio-emotional aspects of care sees the client as lacking… – as being somehow tremulous, anxious, apt to suffer depression, and needing the consulting room well-stocked with tissues.” (Brown, Crawford, 2006, p. 44) Therefore, due to the mutual sympathizing, after the child was born HP allowed Kim and the partner to take the baby, which action must be perceived as the closure of the session. Presumably, HP’ main purpose was to raise question of how C and F would cope in caring the child. (Brown, Crawford, 2006) Additional Skills of Health Professional The Chapter 4, “Additional Skills of Health Professional,” analyzes if there were issues of distress or conflict, suggesting other skills and strategies that might be adopted. Focusing on this, a thesis should be that even if there were some conflict moments in the case of methodological level allows solving them effectively. For example, it was taken place when HP abused smoking and drinking by going through Kim’s reports, being able not to distress Kim’s partner, Adam, mental health issues (i.e. the latter was a potential problem); also, question of how the partners would cope in caring for the child was potentially conflict. Nevertheless, HP managed to build the dialogue in such a way that all the potential troubles between the parties were dissimilated: so, how could she get through the hostility? Using a broad methodological platform, HP constructed her intervention with an assistance of nine phases, which were explicated before; developed interactivity, respectability, and relationship, being prolonged via all nine phases (i.e. explicated forms of Health Communication) were useful to solve the problems. Therefore, what should be added ultimately that the additional skills, which are demanded from HP, should be articulated in such a brief thesis: HP must be aware of methodological background, which consists of the intentional aims of interaction, forms of Health Communication, and models/methods of Health Communication. Conclusion To conclude with, a summary of the evaluation of the interaction should be given. Certainly, this interaction must be evaluated as the most appropriate in such context, because she provides all nine forms of communication with a great talent, good sense of presence, and professional dignity. This thesis can be proven easily by a fact that her moral respectability and rational method of constructing of this interaction was emancipated from an invasion from not only bad feelings from the side of both partners, but she also manage to dissimilate a very opportunity of conflict situations and aspects, concerning various social, ethnic, and psychological realities of the parties. Finally, the relationship was created giving the success of reasoning to the parties, i.e. HP, C, and F. References Adler, R. & Rodman G., 2006. Understanding Human Communication. (9th Ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press.
 Barry, D., 2007. Health Communication Theory and Practice. Cambridge, MA: Open University Press. Brown,B., Crawford, P., Carter,R., 2006. Evidence-based Health Communication. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. 
 Corcoran, N. (ed), 2007. Communicating Health: Strategies for Health Promotion. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Ewles, L. & Simnett, I., 2003. Promoting Health. A Practical Guide. (5th Ed.) London: Bailliere Tindall. 
 Morrell, J., 2001. How to Forecast: A Guide for Business. London: Gover Publishing Ltd. Street, S., 2002. A Concide History of British Radio. Tiverton: Kelly Publications. Read More