Unit 7: Lesson 2: Characteristics of Health Communication

Lesson 2: Characteristics of Health Communication

Lesson 2: Characteristics of Health Communication

When we look at health communication, we can identify many different types of conversations and responses. Healthcare providers give patients information, explain diagnoses, notify patients and families of a prognosis, and communicate with other healthcare professionals about health and disease. Throughout these conversations, several facets are common to these different types of communication. Some health scientists have suggested that these shared aspects help to build effective health communication.

Empathy

One of the most critical aspects of health communication is empathy. Early definitions of empathy were along the lines of 'feeling into.' Today, we think of empathy as understanding what another person is feeling or thinking. It is to place yourself in 'someone else's shoes' and see the situation from their perspective. Other definitions have included 'accurate understanding' and 'emotional sensitivity'. Although empathy and sympathy are often used interchangeably, empathy is not sympathy. Sympathy is feeling pity or concern for another person; it still reflects the feelings of the first individual. Empathy is focused on the feelings of the other person.

Studies in the health sciences indicate that empathy is an essential characteristic of health communication. Showing empathy decreases patients' feelings of being alone with their illnesses or diseases. Individuals with chronic illnesses often feel isolated, and this connection can help them feel less isolated and depressed. A 1995 study found that when nurses showed empathy to patients, those patients reported less anxiety and depression. Empathy can also help healthcare professionals connect with patients and improve their communication with patients and other healthcare professionals. Empathy between healthcare professionals has been shown to help create stronger bonds and more effective healthcare teams.

While showing empathy can help patients, a lack of empathy can create more negative situations for patients. Healthcare professionals can become caught up in doing their jobs, diagnosing diseases, and reducing symptoms, forgetting that they are treating individuals who may have a range of emotions about their situations. Imagine a situation where a physician enters a room and proclaims with a smile that she has finally diagnosed a patient's illness, a serious one, and that the patient can be happy to know that they have a few good years left to live before the severe symptoms start showing up. How do you think the patient and their family would feel? Would how the doctor handled the situation help or hurt the patient, and how did they approach the illness?

Trust

Another important aspect of health communication is trust. Trust occurs within human communication when the participants feel they are accepted without judgment and given truthful information. Trust also occurs when both participants believe the other person is interested and will behave in ways that promote their best interests. In the health sciences, trust is an essential facet of communication. Patients often feel helpless, confused, and vulnerable. They need to be able to place their trust in the healthcare professionals around them, and this trust is cultivated through the communication between patients and professionals. Building trust through communication can help patients feel less scared and uncomfortable.

Patients are often confronted by complicated information and decisions in healthcare settings, mainly if the issue involves a severe illness. These situations usually involve information and treatments beyond the knowledge of most patients. They have to rely on what healthcare professionals tell them in their communications. This forced dependence can increase feelings of insecurity and fear, but having trust in healthcare professionals and believing that they are acting in the patient's best interests can help reduce these negative feelings for patients. Healthcare professionals can benefit further from establishing trust in their communications: it can help build their professional credibility and help position the professional's advice at every turn.