Running Head: COMMUNICATION IN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY

Communication in the Medical Community as a Clinician Caitlin Courtois Northeastern University

COMMUNICATION IN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY

Communication in the Medical Community as a Clinician Inclusively defining the medical community would be a task that brings phrases such as impossible or never going to happen to mind. There are an immense amount of individuals with specific roles that are all working towards bettering the health of others. From hospital executives to nursing assistants to even clinic custodial crews, there are countless levels of service and expertise that have learned to communicate seamlessly so as to benefit the recipient of medical practices: patients. Though many channels of communication exist in this field, including (but not limited to) doctor to doctor, doctor to pharmacist, and researcher to researcher exchanges, it seems the most relevant and prevalent in todays world is the communication between a doctor and a patientthe very foundation upon which a doctor takes the Hippocratic Oath. Any cliniciandoctors, nurses, physicians assistants, etc.must hold the basic skills that allow for their knowledge to reach various diverse audiences. One would not converse with the same diction and speed to a co-worker as they would to a patient. In this way, they can learn to target their listeners for the most effective understanding of an experiments results, a diseases pathology, or even just instructions on how and when to consume a prescription. Beyond verbal discussions, medical professionals employ a wide range of genres with the purpose of delivering their message. Between pamphlets and videos focusing on patient education, patient histories, medical journals, and informative textbooks focusing on continuing education, it is clear to see that communication in all forms is integral to the proper functioning in the health field. I, as a student, consider myself lucky, as I have been exposed to both the patient and professional aspects of medical correspondence. As a physical therapy aide, during my co-op I served as a type of middleman between the doctor and patient by receiving

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instructions from the therapist, then translating them into comprehensible language that the patient could instill into their daily routines. Beyond this, I had access to medical records, MRI and X-ray reports, as well as surgical reports that I slowly gained experience in interpreting. As a means of getting us acclimated with the medical discourse community, our boss had us participate in a journal club, in which we were assigned to read and analyze sophisticated articles from medical journals. By the end of co-op I felt like a better prepared, well-versed student equipped with the knowledge that allowed me to assimilate with professionals in the realm of medical communication. In recent years, the issue of a declining clinician-patient relationship has become especially widespread, and one that I, myself, have dealt with. Many physicians as well as public health workers and policy makers have found a passion in reversing this unfortunate trendthe exact goal that spawned the foundation of the Doctor Patient Medical Association (DPMA). Short doctor visits, false diagnoses as a result of carelessness, and overall lack of communication have attributed to the assemblage of many dissatisfied patients and are only some of the issues this groups work touches upon. When one does not feel trust toward a medical provider or feel that they do not have the desire to commit their knowledge wholeheartedly towards bettering their wellbeing, the foundation of healthcare begins to break down. The desire to stop this trend in its tracks along with a deep interest in hard sciences, specifically anatomy, allowed me to come to the conclusion that my future lies in working as a clinician, whether it be as a doctor or physicians assistant. My aim is to uphold the core values of working with patients, which I believe to include caring, integrity, commitment, advocacy, compassion and responsibility. Each of these characteristics lends an influence to the maintenance of good relationships, not only in healthcare, but also in general.

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Through the research involved in the journal club, along with a personal interest in generating efficacious interactions with future patients, I began to grasp the importance of the Doctor Patient Medical Association. This is a comprehensive group working towards protecting freedom in medicine for both doctors and patients (Doctor Patient Medical Association, 2011). Their website tackles the prevalent issue of improving patient-physician relationships while flawlessly navigating through the tough task of displaying the type of effective communication on their webpage that we alldoctors and patients alikecan learn from. The elements embedded in this webpage all serve the purpose of successfully relaying their message to their dual audience. DPMA immediately establishes credibility and authority by providing a profile outlining the credentials of the groups two founders: Kathryn Serkes a former representative of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and Mark Schiller, MD, a fellow at the Pacific Research Institute (Who We Are, 2011). Their combined experience in professional associations and in advocacy for quality, affordable care for patients, as well as fighting the obstacles preventing doctors from providing this care, create a sense of trust in the viewer. This subconsciously persuades them to deem the websites contents reliable and prompts further investigation into what the site has to offer. Upon taking in the credentials of the site, the home page itself proves intriguing by including bolded messages in vibrant hues that emphasize the idea of wedoctors and patients working together. This is at the forefront of the effort made by this group to appeal to both of its audiences, professionals and the public alike. No matter the stance on health policy or type of degree or lack thereof one may have, they cannot help but feel the need for a sense of oneness in healthcare today. In this way, the DPMA flawlessly grabs the attention of the widest range of people possible while also delivering their fundamental message in one fell swoop.

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In an effort to reach out effectively to the two sub-groups this website is aimed towards, there are separate tabs labeled For Doctors and For Patients. Allowing the visitor to choose their path emits a sense of specificity and confidence that what they are going to encounter is being catered to their sense of understanding. Each tab outlines the benefits of membership for both types of participantsfor doctors, it includes perks such as the opportunity to influence policy, networking and discount on medi-surgical supplies, and for patients it outlines discounts on medical lab services and tests, as well as access to decision makers and elected officials(For Doctors and For Patients, 2011). The DPMA put intricate thought into what would appeal to their audiences, since one of their underlying goals is to sell memberships as a way of maintaining the funds necessary to continue the work they believe is integral to the proper functioning of the healthcare field. The theme of getting involved is further reinforced by the advertisement that appears on each page in the top right corner: one brightly labeled TAKE ACTION! with links to resources, volunteer sign-ups, an event calendar and even the DPMAs social media sites. Although they are asking for money, these features make the audience feel like less of a customer being sold an item, and more of an advocate donating their money to a cause. Navigating through the DPMAs website proves fairly easy; yet another appealing aspect for the websites visitors. The white background is not distracting, and the use of vibrant colors and bolded font attract the reader to the main highlights that the DPMA wants to emphasize during even a quick skim over the page. The tabs at the top of the page are divided sensibly into pages that explain the group itself, how to join, a link to their blog, a page for doctor, a page for patients, highlights from their visibility in the news and an overview of the issues and advocacy work they feel most passionate about. The page outlining issues is another great example of the

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way the DPMA strives to serve a wide audience, as it breaks down topics the public may not know much about in succinct, understandable language. Specifically, in regards to the issue of privacy in healthcare, the author outlines first what we believe to be truethe fact that our records and what we tell our doctors is kept privateand then in a bolded message delivers the idea that WE ARE WRONG (The Issues, 2011). This sudden change in tone from informative to daunting inspires a sense of action in the patient to do what they can to protect the value of privacy they have come to rely on as a guarantee. This only adds to the underlying message of this association, that advocacy is of the upmost importance. The DPMA uses their In The Media tab to highlight instances in which their work has been mentioned in the news. This includes headlines as well as clips from various news outlets. These videos prove to appeal to the visual learner while also indicating their prevalence and position as a trusted source for information regarding doctor-patient relationships and their support for finding ways to satisfy the wants, needs, and basic human rights of doctors and patients. Including these outside sources as well as citing reliable works in other informative areas of text only further stimulates a sense of trust in the reader, which reinforces deeper comprehension and persuasion of the arguments presented. Exploring the DPMAs website is a beneficial task for anyone. We are not all doctors, but very few can say they havent been patients. Between the information provided in a manner that appeals to its wide range of audiences, options for ways to get involved, and overall breakdown of the main issues in communication in healthcare, the Doctor Patient Medical Association effectively exhibits their main message which sits atop every pageFreedom in medicine for doctors AND patients. Only we as a unit can make this a reality.

COMMUNICATION IN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY References For Doctors. (2011). Retrieved January 23, 2014 from doctorsandpatients.org For Patients. (2011). Retrieved January 23, 2014 from doctorsandpatients.org The Issues. (2011). Retrieved January 23, 2014 from doctorsandpatients.org Who We Are. (2011). Retrieved January 23, 2014 from doctorsandpatients.org

Reflective Note: I find that this piece will fit into my professional portfolio seamlessly, as it involves the same topic as my inquiry question. Communication in healthcare as well as sending a message to an audience effectively are invaluable skills to maintain as a future professional.