Communication Paper

Communication Paper

One of the communication modes used by consumers and health care providers is the e-mail. People around the world rely on the service provided through online on a daily basis. Health care providers depend on the internet for various reasons such as carrying out research, purchasing products, obtaining education information and communicating across the healthcare sector. E-mail as a mode of communication is widely used in hospitals and by consumers as a way of making communication easier. Health care related issues are exchanged through e-mails depending on the needs of the patients or users. Therefore, e-mails as a mode of communication are widely used because they are faster and an effective mode of passing confidential information.

One of the benefits of e-mails to the patients is exchanging information faster with the health care providers. Patients use e-mails to order for medical check-ups, treatment or make purchase of medical products (Tustin, 2010). The use of e-mails as the mode of communication has drastically changed lifestyles of people in the society especially the way they exchange ideas. Patients found it easier to exchange information with medical professions especially private matters concerning on certain diseases such as Aids and mental illness. Many patients find it hard to directly face healthcare providers and tell them their problems. However, with the use of e-mails, it has now become easier for patients to order for medical products and inform their personal doctors on issues concerning their sickness within a short period.

One aspect related to the values of using e-mails is helping patients to optimize the value they encounter. For instance, incase someone is committed but he or she wants to go for health check-ups, then e-mails will serve as the best mode of contacting the doctors on the effective day to visit them. This is crucial because it will enable an individual to avoid associated costs. In addition, the importance of maintaining patient confidentiality when using this mode of communication can be achieved. It will allow patients to make appointments for private matters and patients may feel free to share their private issues with the health providers with confidence. For instance, when dealing with mental illness, this mode becomes crucial because confidentiality and privacy is maintained. Warnings are established in order to protect the patient’s financial security as well as personal security once the information is intercepted by the wrong people hence maintaining confidentiality (Tustin, 2010).

E-mail is an effective mode of passing information between consumers and health care providers because it serves as the best, simple tool and non-urgent issues are achieved such as making appointments, refilling prescriptions and giving consumers’ information. E-mails enable health providers and consumers to make non-urgent issues for a short period (Toussaint and Coiera, 2005). For instance, incase the consumer wants to arrange for medical products, he or she will e-mail the health provider. The health provider will in turn describe in details the kind of medical products he or she will use. Consequently, the health providers can make prescriptions to the consumer effectively because it allows them to formulate their statements or responses timely.

This mode of communication differs from others for it works faster because most of health care providers leave the e-mails for their clients open. They set a sound that alerts them and sometimes plug-in the browser that notifies them whenever something hits on their e-mail account. It is widely considered because it does not interfere with an effective transmission and reception of the messages. In other words, it does not cause noise in the office comparing to other means such as phone calls or other communications made through the internet thus chances of environmental interruptions within a working place are very low. However, it can blind users to its pitfalls when making negotiations. The impoverished nature of this mode as a medium of communication can lead to misunderstandings. Even so, it is the best method because it acts as an evidence for negotiation and it is a determinant of whether the health care providers maintain medical ethos in interactive agreements made.

Media and social networking might change communication in the health care through various ways. It may change the mode in which pharmaceutical companies and health care providers communicate with the public. This may lead to misunderstandings between the consumers and health care providers incase the information is interpreted wrongly. Consumers follow the health conferences in real time and even search for information in the website links instantly (Public relations and social media, 2010). However, with the use of social networking and media, reputation risks may arise because of adverse events. For instance, some health care companies use the social media to inform patients on health problems and help to build peer-to-peer relationships between doctors and patients.

This mode of communication is used to market health care products or services through integrating social media tools with the traditional media efforts that fit the health care providers and consumers. In order for the e-mail mode to be successful in marketing health care products, health care providers may go to places where their audiences reside and inform them about their products. They may give them brief information on the products they offer. In addition, they may get the audiences’ contacts such as e-mails for further communication incase they may need their services. In addition, health care providers may use other social media tools such as face book, twitter and you tube whereby they can provide their e-mail contacts. This is essential because incase people may need their help, it will be easier to contact them through use of e-mail mode to make communication plans.

References

Public relations and social media. (2010). Social media, a strategic tool for healthcare

communication. Retrieved on May 27, 2011 from http://conversationalcorporation.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/social-media-a-strategic-tool-for-healthcare-communication/

Toussaint, P. J., & Coiera, E. (January 01, 2005). Supporting communication in health care.

International Journal of Medical Informatics, 74, 10, 779-81.

Tustin, N. (January 01, 2010). The Role of Patient Satisfaction in Online Health Information

Seeking. Journal of Health Communication, 15, 1, 3-17.