Health Communication Campaigns
Your final case assignment deals with health communication goals and objectives by Healthy People 2020 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2020 provide 10-year goals and objectives to improve the nation’s health. One specific goal is to use health communication strategies and health information technology to improve health care quality, health outcomes for the population, and to attain health equity (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). Case Assignment Using the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2012) resource provided, write a 2-3 page paper addressing the following Identify 3 different health communication objectives listed by Healthy People 2020 (Use the summarized list under the overview section on the direct link from your required reading. Note: they are listed in bullets under the provided link.) Discuss the importance of the health communications objectives you selected. Using personal experience, how would you address the objectives you selected? (Note: Feel free to use your military or other job related experiences that relate to your selected objectives.) Connecticut Health Policy. (2013c). The health advocacy toolbox: How to work with campaigns. Retrieved October 1, 2013 from http://www(dot)cthealthpolicy(dot)org/toolbox/legislative/campaigns.htm Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). (2010). Responsibilities and competencies. Retrieved October 1, 2013 from http://www(dot)sophe(dot)org/Responsibilities_Competencies.cfm U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2012). Healthy People 2020 topics and objectives: Health communication and health information technology. Retrieved October 1, 2013 from http://www(dot)healthypeople(dot)gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=18
Health Communication Campaigns
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Health Communication Campaigns
One of the ways to improve health care outcomes is using communication strategies central to healthcare information technologies. Currently, people are interacting with technology, and the healthcare field can use these technologies to pass information, receive ideas, which can improve the quality of healthcare. Through sharing ideas and receiving information about health, the society and health care professionals will make appropriate decisions on health matters. There are many advantages of using health communication and health IT as communication tools. As such, the objectives by Healthy People 2020 to realize the advantages are increasing health literacy skills, providing personalized self-management tools and resources, and facilitating meaningful use of health IT, including exchange of health information among healthcare and public health professionals (U.S. Department of Human and Health Services, 2012).
Although health literacy is a new concept in healthcare, the concept has gained much attention. Researchers, policy makers and healthcare professionals have shown interest in the concept because it has considerable impact on the health and wellbeing of the people. In fact, it is a stronger predictor of health outcomes than economic and social status, age, gender and education of an individual. For the public to gain health literacy skills, there must be a relationship between health providers and the public, brought together by appropriate communication channels, which in this case are healthcare information technologies. Inadequate levels of health literacy raise the costs of health care, and such people experience poorer health conditions despite the illness they encounter (Egbert, & Nanna, 2009).
Evidence comments that inadequate health literacy is more rampant in vulnerable populations such as the elderly, minorities, illiterate and people suffering from chronic health issues. For Healthy People 2020, the objective is to improve the cognitive and social skills that will motivate people into having the desire to access, understand and use healthcare information to realize good health outcomes. Producing internet content is strategic in sharing information on health matters. There are challenges in using the approach, mainly on computer availability, but the emergence of smart phones, and public facilities, such as libraries, schools can provide the required connectivity to access the information (Egbert, & Nanna, 2009).
Considering people with low literacy levels, healthcare providers can make web pages simple and user-friendly. Instead of using formats such as PDF and Flash, which may require advanced computer skills, providers can use HTML. Despite the emergence of healthcare information technologies, medical errors have been on the rise. Medical errors suggest that, healthcare professionals are not using the technologies, including information technologies appropriately (Egbert, & Nanna, 2009). Therefore, for Healthy People 2020, the objective is to advoc...