Running head: RESEARCH ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAGHY
Health Communication: A Time Reflective Annotated Bibliography
Olivia M. Jones
Central Washington University
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RESEARCH ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAGHY
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Roper, W. L. R. (1993). Health communication takes on new dimensions at cdc. In
Public Health Reports (pp. 179-183). Atlanta, Georgia: ASSOCIATION.
The study of health communication became prevalent within health
organizations during the early 1990’s because many doctors, scholars, and patients
were looking for a new way to integrate successful communication patterns into
society. Medical Doctor William L. Roper was one of the first researchers to look at
the health communication strategies, definitions, and framework within one
individual company. Dr. Roper chose to examine The Centers for Disease Control on
behalf of this study because of the organizations need to integrate health
communication into overall prevention programs as a means of influencing
healthier communication behavior between staff and patients.
Dr. Roper at the time of his study was Director of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. He understood that without having a sound proposal and long time
plan to integrate health communication into the organization, his goals would not be
met. Therefore, Dr. Roper made a specific goal that in 1998, five years after the
initial integration of health communication into the organization begins, there will
be an established group running an office of health communication that will provide
leadership and support for health communication inquiries.
Dr. Roper was very aware of his methods, strategies, and time constraints to
process the framework of his five-year proposal. This 1993 study of health
communication stands as a great example for similar work to follow that have the
same ideas and ultimate goal of accomplishing increased awareness among
Americans of the importance of good health and their ability to achieve it.
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Patrick, K. P. (1998). An evidence based approach in health communication: A
challenge to medicine in the informative age. Journal of Medical Association,
290, 1-17.
As the 1990’s progress, five years after Dr. Ropers study on The Centers of
Disease Control, many public health organizations discovered a need to incorporate
health communication as a necessity in the company. Dr. Thomas Robinson and his
partners discovered a challenge to medicine in the new media informative age in
many clinical practices including their own Science Panel on Interactive
Communication and Health. Evidence-Based Approach to Interactive Health
Communication is the name they have given to their proposal to improve the quality
of communication in clinical medicine practices.
Dr. Robinson summarizes that interactive health communication applications
have great potential to improve health, but may also cause unnecessary confusion to
those who use them. Interactive health communication is widely is the foundation
for this study because of the advances in technology and telecommunications.
Because the technologies are changing in the medical field, the nature of interaction
between individuals and health professionals are also changing.
Dr. Robinson took notice to the technology change and interaction change, which
is why he engaged in this research project. He was attentive to the fourteen member
nonfederal panel of clinical nurses and doctors, the benefits and risks of interactive
health communication, the potential for harm, proposed evaluation-reporting
template, and methods used. Dr. Robinson’s study is well researches, well-timed,
organized, and interesting to not only clinical practitioners but as well as the general
public.
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Cline, R. J. W. C & Haynes, K.M. (2001). Consumer health information seeking on the
internet: the state of the art. Unpublished manuscript, Health Education
Research, Oxford University, United Kingdom
As the 1990’s came to an end, the year of 2000 marked an overwhelming amount
of new technologies. The health communication field changed dramatically from the
basic need to have health communication in organizations in the 1990’s, to the
growing amount of health information readily available for communication on the
Internet. In 2001, health scholars Cline and Haynes set out to understand if health
professionals should be concerned in what their patients might be reading on the
web. Cline and Haynes attempt to look at the potential benefits, synthesis of quality
concerns, and identification for positive or negative evaluation of online information
and literature.
As noted professors of the Department of Health Science Education at the
University of Florida, Cline and Haynes understand that because the Internet is an
uncontrollable variable, it will offer widespread access to health information that
not all can be accounted for. Cline and Haynes summarize their personal research
along with other research cited correctly in their article. These authors are
forthcoming about the articles specific information including public health interest
in consumer health information seeking via Internet, diverse purposes of the study,
collaborations or collisions on the implications for health care systems, roadblocks
and hazards on the information super highway, and the criteria for evaluating
health information on the internet. The purpose of this article is to respond to the
mass communication concepts and open roads for Internet inquiry to understand
that the Internet is a powerful contender in the growing health information field.
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Davis, T.C., Williams, M. V., Marin, E., Parker, R.M. and Glass, J. (2002), Health
Literacy and Cancer Communication. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 52:
134-149
Only one year later after Cline and Hayne’s conducted their research study on
health communication and the Internet did Dr. Terry Davis and her team open up
the field to cancer related studies. Dr. Terry Davis is a well-known professor of
medicine and pediatrics at Feist Weiller Cancer Center in Shreveport, LA. She
worked with a team made up of five doctors from the Louisiana area in hopes of
creating a plan to enhance health literacy among cancer patients for the greater
good of the patients themselves and doctors. In this article, Davis researched
patients with poor health literacy and the difficulties that follow such as written and
oral communication that may limit their understanding of helpful cancer
terminology.
As a professional medical practitioner, Dr. Davis and her team have been apart of
health literacy first hand with her nurses and patients. She understands that when
patients do not comprehend the cancer and medical terminology she is conveying,
there is a gap of communication, which adversely affects how the patients go about
cancer treatments.
Dr. Davis and her research team conducted this study with the intent of using
quantitative methods to interview and screen patients with low health literacy skills
to then quantify the results. Because of the results, the proposal is valid for this
research team to now offer practical communication aids that can help connect the
cancer communication gap.
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Eysenback, Gunther, G. E. (2004). Health relater virtual communities
and electronic support groups: Systematic review of the effects of online peer to
peer interactions. Builders Merchant Journal, 1-14.
Two years later after Davis and her team looked at an individual study of cancer
related health literacy information, virtual communities and electronic supports groups
were gaining popularity in the health world. In May of 2004, Dr. Gunther Eysenbach
created a study to evaluate the evidence on health and social outcomes of computer based
peer-to-peer communities and electronic self-support group’s used by people to talk
about health related issues. Eysenbach attempts to identify if there are any peer-to-peer
communities on the Internet that give false information on the topic of health
communication.
As a medical doctor, Eysenback understands that health field is changing because of
the information patients can find for themselves online. Because of this, this research
article explains that the main purpose is to find not all health information on the web, just
evidence that some cites are allowing invalid information, which ultimately leads to loss
of credibility of some doctors when patients can’t decipher what information is true.
Dr. Eysenback is an associate professor for the University of Toronto health
department and is well known for his research in related health communication areas of
study. Eysenbach is aware that there is no previous evidence that these types of virtual
communities may exists and that searching the Internet will be a challenge because of the
vast amount of information available. Eysenbach is cooperative and gives many examples
of the research data, methods used, main outcomes of the study, results, and the overall
findings.
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Nutbeam, D. (2006). Health literacy as a public health goal: A challenge for
contemporary health education and communication strategies into the 21st
century. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Public Health and Community
Medicine, A27, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia, Oxford University,
Sydney, Australia.
In 2006 the subject of health literacy shows up again in many new articles because of
the problems clinics, doctors, and nurses are facing when communicating health
information to patients. Dr. Nutbeam conducted a research study looking at health
literacy and health promotion as a term to describe a range of outcomes in health
education and activities. He defines health literacy as the relationship between literacy
levels and their ability to relate medical terminology. This paper looks at the failings of
past educational programs that address social and economic series of health, and traces
successive reductions in the roles of health education in modern promotional tactics.
A health-overcome model is presented in this article, which highlights health literacy
as a key outcome for health education. Analysis is then done to try and improve health
literacy to more than developing communication skills to the deep understanding of what
the communication and information truly means. The purpose of this article is for readers
to understand that is health literacy is taught to the public in health education courses,
classes, and/or seminars, it will overcome the many barriers of effective communication
between doctors and patients and will ultimately help save lives.
Scholar Don Nutbeam is conscious to the idea that not everyone will have access to
health education courses online or in person. However, his model proposal is valid when
improving public health literacy because of his successful findings. The study is
conducted by using qualitative methods consisting of addressing social determinants of
health, and health literacy as an outcome of health promotion.
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Evans, D. E., & Davis, K. D. (2008). Health communication and marketing research
with new media. School of Public Health and Health Services, George
Washington, Washington, D.C, U.S.
As technology becomes more apparent and the issue of health literacy is more
visible in society than ever before, a new type of health communication research
was been brought to the attention of scholars. In early 2008, two years after the
health literacy wave, Dr. Douglas Evans from George Washington University School
of Public Health and Health Services conducted a research study to evaluate the new
health communication media and marketing campaigns. Dr. Evans defined new
media as all formed of electronic communication with the Internet in particular
because of its many opportunities to expose study participants all over the world.
The individual campaign that Dr. Evans and his research team chose to look at was
the Parents Speak Up National Campaign. This campaign is designed to increase
parent child communication on the topic of sexual behavior in children, teens, and
young adults.
Dr. Evans summarizes that this campaign increased parent-child communication
about sex and affected other outcomes as well because of the website nontraditional means of communication they chose. This research study is a great
example of how online marketing campaigns can succeed if they overcome nontraditional means of communication. Because of the new age of technology, Dr.
Evans is aware that not all social marketing campaigns will have the same amount of
success as the Parents Speak Up Campaign, but states that researchers will be able
to use this article as a foundation, reference, and/or illustration of what to do and
what not to do during a web based campaign.
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Miranda, G. M., Vercellesti, L. V., Pozzi, E. P., & Brunot, F. B. (2008). Improving
health communication: Supporting the practice of health communication. Health
Libraries Group, (26), 399-46.
In the same year as the previous article, 2008, the World Health Organization
exposed a need for health communication to be looked at as an ethical need for all.
Giovanna F. Miranda and her fellow researchers from the University of Milan
revealed that health information is a basic right for all and should be a priority in
the world. Any type of medical information that can be communicated to audience
through a credible and relent news source is wanted in society according to Miranda
because of the need to define a new role for health science librarians to improve
medical communication reporting for the public.
Miranda and her research team have figured out that there are two areas where
health science librarians can develop new roles in health communication. One is
supporting journalists and health communicators in selecting sources, and secondly
is directly translating scientific information into news items.
The University of Milan and its researchers are known for working in a timely and
organized manner along side The World Health Organization in previous studies.
The researchers are very open to explaining their research methods and results to
ensure that there is no confusion of the reader. This research project is well put
together and relevant when looking at today’s ethical issues of health
communication. Health communication tends to provide false hopes or unwanted
fears in relation to medical research that is available online or in print and gives
readers an unfair since of defeat, when that same unethical defeat should never be
felt in the first place if health librarians put an end to false information available.
RESEARCH ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAGHY
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Parker, J. P., & Thorson, E. T. (2008). Health communication in the new media
landscape. (pp. 8-13). New York: Springer.
In this book of health communication, author Jerry Parker illustrates how health
communication fits into the new media landscape of the 21st century. Similar to the
previous article in terms of false information available on the web and the unethical
instance of readers being confused about false information on the web and in print,
Parker informs his readers on the precautionary ways to navigate the new media. As
an experienced author, Parker gives an overview of what the health status in the
United States looks like in the beginning chapter of his book. Later, Parker goes into
more detailed sections of health communication such as disease control, health care
opportunities, and demographic challenges. Parker summarizes the positive and
negatives on the health care information to the public giving his readers a since of
personal choice.
His writing is unbiased and done in a way that the reader can choose either point
of view while still receiving quality and helpful information on public health. Parker
is forthcoming about his own personal research history, previous books written, and
status as an author. Parker references the problems with today’s media and health
and the problems that future health care researchers and practitioners might run
into. Parker’s book is written in a well-organized matter, is easily readable by the
public, and accessible online for those who cannot afford print versions. Parker is
overall accommodating to all readers because of the vast amount of research
provided in his book along with the unbiased manner when approaching and
writing about difficult situations in health care.
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Singleton, K., Krause, E., (Sept. 30, 2009) “Understanding Cultural and Linguistic
Barriers to Health Literacy” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol.
14, No.3, Manuscript 4
Previously, health literacy has been written about as an apparent problem since
the launch of distinguished health communication and its researchers in the 1990’s.
Yet again, health literacy appears in the article Understanding Cultural and
Linguistic Barriers to Health Literacy issued by The Online Journal of Issues in
Nursing. Kate Singleton and Elizabeth Krause have written this article to show the
that nurses today are providing care for more diverse groups than ever before but
are challenged with the linguistic barriers between themselves and their patients.
Both authors discuss in detail the interrelationships between health literacy,
culture, and language as it pertains to cultural construction and additional
backgrounds of patients. Singleton and Krause are informative in the information
provided on health literacy, culture, cultural and linguistic competence,
communication, and racial/ethnic disparities. Both authors are aware that not every
nurse or clinical practitioner will have issues with health literacy because not every
clinic deals with a diverse range of patients, however many do in around the U.S.
This article is bountiful in suggestions and examples of how nurses and
practitioners can overcome the barrier of diverse linguistics and ultimately make
changes to their organizations so patients know diversity is welcomed. Both authors
conclude this research study with a proposal to offer recommendations for
promoting health literacy to move beyond any cultural or linguistic barrier by
having nursing interventions that teach nurses how to fully integrate and teach
culture and language within health literacy policies.
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Viswanath, K. V. (2011). Race, Ethnicity, social class, and health communication
inequalities: A nationally representative cross sectional study. Unpublished
research article. Community Based Research, Harvard School of Public Health,
Boston, USA.
In early 2011, The Center for Community Based Research conducted a study
similar to the previous studies on health literacy and cultural diversity. This study
proposed that even though mass media communication can be an important source
of health information, there are countless amounts of social and racial disparities in
health knowledge that may be related to Internet and media use. Authors K.
Viswanath and L. Ackerson propose that the role of the mass media and
interpersonal communication is influencing the health communication field at
vigorous rate for the worse. The mass media plays a negative role because it does
not reach out to all types of people from around the world. Because of this, the
purpose of this study is to understand if the use of cancer-related health
communication means such as T.V., radio, magazines, or newspapers as a distinct
pattern due to race, social, economic, or cultural class.
Both authors are forthcoming with the information that is available for the reader
in the methodology, principle findings, and results section of the article. This study
was conducted for the purpose to follow up on a previous study that had shown that
the benefits of health information are not equally distributed across social distinct
groups, and in fact a disparity for some groups that have higher chances to want to
take advantage of health information available. The findings are relevant as a
pattern was found. Because of this article, professionals can provide greater access
to the enhancing of health by means of media.
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Brody, J. B. (2011, October 03). Navigating the net wisely in a health crisis. The New
York Times, pp. 1-5
As more and more clinics around the U.S have become more tuned into the need to
have a diverse staff and patient regiment because of the many studies done previously in
2008-2011, health communication has gained popularity on the web because of the free
information access for low-income households. The article at hand was written by Jane
Brody of the New York Times about a man who saved his own life by finding free but
very helpful health information on the web. The purpose of the article if for others to
understand that although the Internet can be a dangerous place and not information is
valid, some information is. Brody explains that the man’s doctors wanted to do unnatural
experiments and chemotherapy to defeat the cancer without exploring any other options.
Because of this, the man decided to reject what his doctors had to offer and sought out his
own remedies online. By doing this, he ran into a well-known doctor, Michael J. Keating
in a medical community on the web located Houston Texas who gave him alternative
treatments which ultimately saved his life.
Jane E. Brody is a familiar journalist in the health scene, and has written similar
articles to this one in the past. Her credibility is in the positive favor, and her writing
should not be turned away. The story choice was excellent because health communication
is a growing field and people are becoming more and more curious to what information is
available online. This is a perfect example of a middle aged man, navigating the web on
his own, ultimately saving his life because of the health information that was
communication online by a doctor in Houston he would have never found, met, or even
heard of otherwise.
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Dr. Joseph Kvedar & Dr. Sam Bierstock, WSJ. (2012). Should physicians use email to
communicate with patients. Wall Street Journal,
As the research comes to an end, in the present year of 2012, more and more
articles are moving away from health literacy and social disparity among patients
and moving forward into the issue of what is appropriate communication between
doctors and patients? In a recent article published by the Wall Street Journal, Should
Physicians use Email to Communication with Patients, two noted doctors have a
heated debate on their personal opinions on the matter. Dr. Joseph Kvedar stands in
place for the doctors who believe that if email communication is done respectfully
and for the right reasons then it should be looked at as an effective way of
communication. While Dr. Sam Bierstock states that email communication between
doctor and patient is taking things to far if done outside of the office at home
because of the misinterpretations and personal relationship development that could
easily occur. Both doctors make valid points in their arguments and leave room at
the end for the viewer to make their own decision. Yes, their arguments are
persuasive, but at the same time develop an unbiased foundation because of the
professional credibility they must uphold as M.D’s.
This article is relevant in today’s society because people need to understand
what is appropriate and what is not appropriate to their own standards when
communicating with their physician outside of the office. When viewing this article,
people will now have a solid foundation no matter what side they choose because
both doctors provided equally sound arguments and justifiable evidence. This
article is needed in the health communication field not only as topic of doctoral
debate but as a popular issue that is rapidly growing in clinics all around the world.