Communications Coordinator in Health Care

Communications Coordinator Introduction Poor health literacy poses huge challenges in accessing health care and health information. Proper communication between the health care industry and the clients is important, particularly due to possible drug interactions and poor treatment. Poor communication is a major cause of medical mistakes and avoidable patient injuries. This in turn hurt the clients physically, emotionally and even financially. Enhanced communication is therefore vital in curbing these effects and advancing the quality of health care. Proper communication should be timely, comprehensive, accurate, and clear to be understood by the care recipients thus minimizing medical mistakes and safeguarding the health of the safety of the client.

Effective communication demands input of a variety of skills such as negotiation, listening, initiative taking, setting targets, and ability to make sound decisions. Possession of enough information early in the process is also important in the execution of responsibilities in an efficient and satisfactory manner. Barriers to effective communication include personal and environmental factors. Human factors include stress, anxiety or behaviors, inability to multitask, poor organization culture, and deviations in trainings.

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Environmental factors that hinder communication process are disturbances, hierarchical differences, and factors related to the gender, society and culture of the concerned parties (Hicks & Nicols, 2012).

Addressing the concerns of the clients as a communication coordinator As a communication coordinator, one should analyze the concerns of the public and come up with appropriate action. The first step is to devise a strategic plan aimed at identifying the issue in question and the importance of good communication as a remedy. The coordinator should also make efforts to know people who need to be reached and evaluating the right channel of communicating with them (Dupre, 2004). With the communication team, the coordinator will come up with concepts, tools and messages to be conveyed and then evaluating their effectiveness in a sample of the target population. If desirable evaluation outcomes are obtained, the communication program is applied across all the population. The success of the communication program is assessed by seeking feedback from the audience, and necessary changes made to the program as required (Hicks & Nicols, 2012).

If the hazards are confirmed to be true, the regulatory agent is notified to recall the drug.

The communication department is coordinated of the possible recall and the necessary announcements are prepared. Through the combined effort of the entire communication personnel, plans for publicity and damage control are put in place. This includes dispatch of letters and sending telegrams to all the affected clients. The department also feeds the media with appropriate information so that the firm is not perceived negatively (Hicks & Nicols, 2012).

Communication methods

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Different communication channels can be employed in exchanging information between the clients and the organization. Communication can be done orally or in written form, which in turn can be classified into traditional, electronic, and social forms of communication. These channels can be in the form of e-mails, telephone calls, letters, fax, face to face, among others.

Traditional media The main traditional modes of communication are written and oral. Examples of traditional media include face to face, telephone calls, fax, mails and radio. Use of traditional media has advantage of enhanced clarity and flexibility as it can be costumed to the needs of the population. It allows for immediate feedback and the results are thus known almost on demand.

The traditional forms of media do not involve use of complex technology; hence no special skills are required to use it. This form of media is cheaper and easily accessible to many people hence a quick way of striking a rapport with the people.

Face to face communication allows one-on-one encounter with the clients hence registering your concern. Use of fax communication has the advantage of leaving hard copies of information behind. It is however subject to HIPAA regulation and sometimes information might be relayed to wrong recipients, hence compromising privacy of the clients (Dupre, 2004).

Telephone calls allow real-time interaction and the issue at stake can be discussed in great detail.

Disadvantages of traditional media This form of communication caters for a defined population and is limited by cultural and environmental factors. Distance is also a limiting factor to this form of communication.

Electronic media Compared to traditional media, electronic media is quicker, cheaper and convenient.

Examples of electronic media include e-mail, social media and instant messaging. Using

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electronic media in communication enables a wide and heterogeneous audience to be reached very quickly. The medium can be singly used to convey a combination of audio, video and text messages. This form of communication is not affected by distance. Another advantage is the mobility of the devices used in electronic communication, for example cell phones. This means that communication can be instantaneous even in public areas. E-mail communication allows the affected people to be reached instantly. This mode of communication maintains the confidentiality of the clients through encryption. E-mails are readily accessible to many people and are convenient in making follow-ups and clarifying the information being communicated.

Social media are web based applications that engage people in a collaborative and participatory platform. Examples of social media include video conferencing, blogs, and social networking websites. Social media can help in reaching the affected clients hence obtain information relating to the said complications and provide them with the necessary advice. They can thus be used for disseminating health information faster. Hurdles in the use of social media for health purposes include high risk and liability posed by HIPAA which prohibit transmission of an individual’s health information on social media (Dupre, 2004). Social media can also be infiltrated with rumors and misinformation, hence affecting the credibility of information across this site.

The major shortcoming of this type of communication is the possibility of infringing on the privacy of people. The vulnerability of electronic communication to cyber attacks sometimes compromises this form of communication. This media demands special skills, therefore is expensive. The responses can be slow because of reduced intimacy with the audience. Electronic communication often is associated with distractions hence time wastage.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

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The aim of thee Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is to safeguard the privacy of the patient in relation to their health information. It defines the conditions under which such information can be disclosed. While essentially encouraging confidentiality of an individual’s health information, HIPAA can be an impediment in sharing of vital health information, and thus affecting the quality of health care (Dupre, 2004).

Positive effects of HIPAA The act gives the patient the right to have access to their health information, hence ensuring that any errors are rectified. It also ensures that one’s health care information is utilized for the intended purpose, which is medical care (Cheesebro, O’Connor & Rios, 2010). Since the HIPP is implemented on using sound technologies, the integrity of an individual’s records is maintained.

Negative effects of HIPAA Health information management is difficult, hence the HIPAA requirements are often hard to implement. This allows the professionals involved in this process to independently interpret the regulations. The outcome is misinterpretations which subsequently obstruct the delivery of health care (Dupre, 2004).

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Cheesebro, T., O’Connor, L. & Rios, F. (2010). Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Dupre, A. (2004). Communicating about health: Current issues and perspectives, (2nd ed.).

Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Hicks, N. J. & Nicols, C. M. (2012). Health industry communication: New media, new methods, new message. Burlington, MA: Jones & Barlett Learning.