research paper about health

Health Communication Research Paper Topics

Community Health Issues

End-of-Life Issues

Evaluation of Health Intervention, Education, and Communication

Everyday and Family Health Communication Issues

International and Diversity Issues in Health Communication

Health Information

Media Content

Organizational Issues and Health Policy

Provider–Patient Interaction

Specific Health Issues/Providers

Technology and Health Communication

Health Communication Theories, Ethics, and Philosophy

Organization of the Field

There is no simple or complete way to organize the field of health communication, though several sub-fields have existed depending on one’s research interests, as well as adventitious and historical circumstances. At the individual level, the focus is twofold: (1) how health cognitions affect, and behaviors influence and are influenced by, health communications; and (2) how interpersonal interactions between patients, family members, and providers, and with members of their social network, influence health outcomes. At the organizational level, some have studied the role of communication within health-care systems and how organization of the media and the practices of media professionals may influence population and individual health.

Finally, at the societal level, the focus is on large-scale social changes and the role of communication with such changes. For example, one might examine how strategic communications as well as natural diffusion of information impact individual and population health; or how communication mediates and is influenced by social determinants such as social class, neighborhood, social cohesion and conflict, social and economic policies, and how that impacts individual and population health.

Even as these levels provide a useful organizing framework, two caveats are warranted. First, policymaking and research related to health may affect more than one level. Second, interest in a level of analysis and pursuit of work at one level is not inconsequential. Locating a problem at one level, and studying it at that level, have implications for the kind of policy or practice that is likely to emerge from that research.

Interpersonal Communication

Extensive attention has been given to understanding the consequences of communication between physicians and patients on patient satisfaction, adherence, and quality of life. One theme is who controls the interaction between providers and patients, known as ‘relational control.’ A second theme focuses on the outcomes of patient– provider interactions. Extensive research has documented that patient–provider communication influences patient satisfaction which, in turn, is related to patient adherence and compliance to treatment regimens, ease of distress, physiological response, length of stay in the hospital, quality of life, and health status, among others. Third, researchers have documented stark differences in patient preparation and access, and in care received and health outcomes, between social classes as well as racial and ethnic groups.

The implications of interpersonal interaction in the context of families, friends, co-workers, and voluntary associations on health outcomes have become one of the most dynamic areas of research in health communication. This topic has been pursued from diverse theoretical viewpoints by researchers focusing on social networks, social support, family communications, and social capital based on the researcher’s disciplinary origins and research interests. In addition to social support, social networks can accelerate or decelerate diffusion of new information, and also influence how it is interpreted (Himelboim & Han 2014). Members within networks can serve as role models for lifestyle behaviors such as smoking and obesity. The emergence and spread of the Internet have broadened the scope of interpersonal interaction and its influence in health communication by moderating the limits of geography.

Mass Media and Health

The incidental and routine use of media for news and entertainment serves four functions in health. (1) The informational function is served when casual use of media for news or other purposes may expose the audience to developments on new treatments or new drugs, alert them to risk factors, or warn them of impending threats such as avian flu; (2) media serve an instrumental function by providing information that facilitates action; e.g., in times of natural disasters the audience may learn about places where they should take shelter, and information of this kind allows for practical action; (3) media defines what is acceptable and legitimate, performing a social control function; (4) the communal function is served when media provide social support, generate social capital, and connect people to social institutions and groups.

Information seeking, as a construct, has gained greater currency in recent times as more information on health has become routinely available because of greater coverage of health in the media, the spread of health-related content on the world wide web, or the consumerist movement in health that promotes informed or shared decision-making. It is widely assumed that under certain conditions some people actively look for health information to seek a second opinion, make a more informed choice on treatments, and learn in greater depth about a health problem that afflicts them or their friends or family members.

The most visible and popular means of strategic communications is through health campaigns which have become a critical arsenal in health promotion. A typical health campaign attempts to promote change by increasing the amount of information on the health topic, and by defining the issue of interest in such a way as to promote health or prevent disease. Recent reviews of the vast literature on health campaigns have identified conditions under which health campaigns can be successful (e.g. Noar 2006; Randolph & Viswanath 2004).

Emerging Challenges/Dimensions

First, the combined impact of computers and telecommunications on society has been transformative, impinging on almost every facet of human life including art, culture, science, and education. Consumer informatics integrates consumer information needs and preferences with clinical systems to empower patients to take charge of their healthcare, bring down costs, and improve quality of care. For example, the integration of electronic medical records with communications should facilitate communications between patients and providers, send automatic reminders to patients to stay on schedule, and help patients navigate the health-care system. Second, technological developments are coinciding with the consumerist movement in health-care. The paternalistic model that characterized the physician–patient relationship is slowly being complemented by alternative models such as shared/informed decisionmaking models (SDM/IDM) or patient-centered communication (PCC). Third, the significant investments in biomedical research enterprise in the developing world, and movement toward more evidence- based medicine, have led to calls for translation of the knowledge from the laboratory to the clinic and the community. Lastly, an urgent and a moral imperative in health is addressing the profound inequities in access to health-care and the disproportionate burden of disease faced by certain groups.

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research paper about health

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