CMN 463 lecture 0

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Defining Health
Communication
John C. Lammers
Department of Communication
University of Illinois
CMN 463: Organizational Health Communication

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Communication 463
Organizational Health Communication
Course Goals
 To exceed your expectations for a
worthwhile, useful, and engaging course,
both in terms of its content and its delivery;
 to increase your knowledge about the U.S.
health care systems and their organization;
 to explore the importance of organizational
communication as it applies to the health care
setting.

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Defining health
communication
 A traditional perspective…
 Perspectives on health
 Historical moments
 Data !!

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Defining health
communication
 Your thoughts…
 On health
 On communication
 On organizations
 On institutions

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Defining health
communication
 “the way we seek, process, and share
health information”

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providerspatients
The traditional focus
of health communication

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friends & family
providerspatients

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hospitals
insurance
companies
friends & family
traditionHMOs
providerspatients
employers

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pharmaceutical
companies
hospitals
insurance
companies
government
regulators government
payors
mass media friends & family
technology
traditionHMOs
providerspatients
employers
education

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Perspectives
 The medical model
 Machine oriented
 Focused & specific
 Efficient
 Reductionistic
 Narrow

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Perspectives
 The biopsychosocial model
 Illness not solely physical
 Role of emotions
 Wholistic
 Effective (not necessarily efficient)
 Requires more communication

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Historical moments
 Germ theory of Disease (1864)
 Flexner Report (1910)
 Specialization (most of the 1900’s)
 Entitlement (post World-War II)
 The medical marketplace (1960’s--)
 Technology (most of the 1900’s)
 Rationalization (especially since 1980)