Health communication
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Health communication · Apr 2011
Covering women's greatest health fear: breast cancer information in consumer magazines.
Women identify consumer magazines as a key source of information on many health topics, including breast cancer, which continues to rank as women's greatest personal health fear. This study examined the comprehensiveness and accuracy of breast cancer information provided in 555 articles published in 17 consumer magazines from 2002 through 2007. Accuracy of information was determined for 33 key breast cancer facts identified by an expert panel as important information for women to know. ⋯ The majority of mentions of key facts were coded as fully accurate, although as much as 44% of mentions of some topics (the link between hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer) were coded as inaccurate or only partially accurate. The magazines were most likely to emphasize family history of breast cancer or genetic characteristics as risk factors for breast cancers; family history was twice as likely to be discussed as increasing age, which is in fact the most important risk factor for breast cancer other than being female. Magazine coverage may contribute to women's inaccurate perceptions of their breast cancer risk.
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Health communication · Jun 2010
Enhancing the "informed" in informed consent: a pilot test of a multimedia presentation.
The use of a multimedia presentation to supplement the informed consent process for endoscopy procedures was tested at a children's hospital. Fifty consecutive children who presented for an endoscopy were randomized to one of two conditions. In group 1, informed consent for the procedure was obtained by the physician in the usual manner. ⋯ As predicted, there was a significant positive correlation between all participants' self-reported comprehension and satisfaction and a negative correlation between comprehension and anxiety. The group that viewed the multimedia presentation scored significantly higher on an objective test and was rated significantly higher in comprehension by physicians than the comparison group. There were no significant differences between the groups in self-reports of anxiety, satisfaction with medical care, and number of questions asked during consent delivery.
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Health communication · Dec 2009
Health and medical blog content and its relationships with blogger credentials and blog host.
People may utilize various sources when searching for health information, including blogs. This study sought to describe the nature of non-personal journal health and medical blog posts and the frequency of interactive blog feature use within these blogs, as well as to understand the quality of content found within health and medical blogs as determined by blogger expertise and blog host. ⋯ Results show most health and medical blog posts highlighted and provided commentary pertaining to medical issues found in external media such as books, television, Web sites, magazines, and newspapers, whereas only 16% contained actual health or medical information. In addition, distinct differences in patterns of content were evident between credentialed and noncredentialed bloggers, as well as different blog hosts.
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Health communication · Oct 2009
The symbolic and material nature of physician identity: implications for physician-patient communication.
This field study considers the implications of the symbolic and material nature of physician identity for communication with patients. In-depth interviews of physicians across multiple organizational contexts reveal that physician identity is a discursive process of situated meaning in which particular configurations of beliefs, values, and actions are constructed within specific contexts. ⋯ Specific implications of the symbolic and material nature of physician identity for physician-patient communication are examined. Understanding physician identity is important to health communication scholarship because of the ongoing and central nature of physicians in health-care decision making and delivery.
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Health communication · Jan 2009
We're on the same side: improving communication between nursing home and family.
Good communication between families and care providers is central to quality care, providing valuable insight into medical history and preferences, increasing family involvement and satisfaction, and reducing complaints. Two studies offer insight into sources of family-staff miscommunication and conflict. The Nursing Home Family Study (Study 1) interviewed 103 family caregivers to nursing home residents. ⋯ Similar issues were raised by nursing staff, who valued trusting, respectful relationships with supervisors and families, being consulted prior to changes, support in addressing racist or abusive comments, adequate staffing, and teamwork. Certified nursing assistants noted that family members are quick to complain but seldom offer praise, and that their intimate knowledge of the resident is rarely acknowledged. These data are applied to develop educational interventions to improve family-staff communication.