Background: The Community Health and Development Program (CHDP) is a longstanding program of the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila, School of Health Sciences, Extension Campus in South Cotabato. While its service goes beyond teaching and extends to community development projects benefiting indigenous sectors, yet there has been no comprehensive and systematic evaluation on the program's health communication materials which promote culturally safe and acceptable health care practices that lead to normative changes. Objective: Using descriptive-interpretive qualitative approach, the researcher identified the communication approaches and documented their health knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) to identify any normative changes. Methodology: A total of 24 respondents gave their views on the program's dengue, malnutrition, teenage pregnancy, and family planning campaigns using a closed-ended survey, qualitative KAP analysis, and ethnovideography. Results: Results showed that information dissemination is limited to printed media and interpersonal communication via small groups; contents of health communication campaigns are less understandable; and social mobilization efforts demonstrated low levels of community engagement. Also, communication between health workers and Blaan indigenous peoples is not transactional due to the lack of feedback and involvement in the decision-making process. The respondents' knowledge on health demonstrated low levels of end-user engagement reflective of unsustainable knowledge on modern medicine. Normative changes are only evident on family planning campaigns. Conclusion The long-term sustainability of health promotion among indigenous peoples may be inhibited due to non-evident normative changes that trigger societal transformation. The paper suggests that a specialized communication strategy intended for Blaan indigenous peoples must be considered and applied in order to react collectively and effectively to address health issues.
Health Communication

Background: Health information systems (HIS) such as Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems are essential in the integration of fragmented local health systems. Investing in HIS is crosscutting; it can address multiple interrelated health system gaps. However, public health authorities, especially those in resource-constrained communities, are often faced with the dual challenge of upgrading and digitalizing local HIS and addressing other more apparent health system gaps. Objectives: The study aimed to identify and document strategies that not only motivate policy change towards adoption of electronic HIS but also address other health system gaps. Methodology: The author, in his capacity as a local health official in a resource-constrained community, developed, implemented, and documented a social marketing strategy wherein community stakeholders were influenced to invest in an electronic medical record (EMR) system because it was shown to also have the capacity to address other priority health system gaps identified. Results: The strategy, based on situational, stakeholder, and risk analyses, prompted local governance to first invest in improving the delivery of services accredited by the national health insurance program (PhilHealth), for which reimbursements would require electronically submitted claim forms. Community stakeholders then supported the proposal to invest in an EMR system because they were persuaded that it can facilitate increased financing from PhilHealth claims reimbursements, which could be used to enable not only improvement in existing health services but to also initiate other health programs. Conclusion Social marketing using the perspective of health as an investment influenced stakeholders to invest in an EMR system.
Public Health ; Health Information Systems ; Health Communication ; Social Marketing

This paper observes both foreign and national discussions on preexisting radiation communication and attempts to find out what it takes to ensure that discussion concerning radiation leads to participation of and trust-building with members of society while considering cultural aspects. When analyzing Korean studies on health risk communication concerning radiation which utilize the frame of foreign literature, Korean studies can be categorized into one of the following themes: different risk perceptions between experts and the general public, discussion on the effects of the framing of radiation messages and media coverage, and research discussing the social implications of the dangers of radiation and the need for effective communication. These study results can be better explained when integrated with Korean social cultural dimensions. The "boiling pot effect" towards risk issues, egalitarian perceptions, escalation of ideological opposition and biased reasoning, and so on are especially major influences. Communication addressing radiological risks must foremost be open and able to mitigate distrust, must give the general public a chance to judge for themselves to prevent stigmatization, and, through the use of media and public education, must make efforts to prevent the proliferation of needless anxiety. Using literature research, this paper discusses possible ways to improve the effect of future health risk communication concerning radiation.
*Health Communication ; Humans ; Perception ; Public Health ; *Radiation Protection ; Research ; Risk

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to develop education programs for improving medical school students' medical communication ability, and to provide basic information to help develop and operate medical communication education programs by analyzing the education programs and students satisfaction from the education effects. METHODS: The method was to survey 116 sophomores in C medical school in 2014 in order to research students' demands for the medical communication education, level differences of communication between before and after of the education, and students' satisfaction from the education program. Analysis of frequency, paired samples t-test, descriptive statistic analysis were used for the research. RESULTS: There were not only many students who did not get general communication educations before admission, but also many students who said they need medical communication education. On the whole, students' abilities of communication were improved. Building relationship, information gathering, sharing information, understanding one's perspectives factors was improved meaningfully in the statistics. However opening relationship, reach agreement, and providing closure were not improved meaningfully in the statistics. On the whole, the students were satisfied from the education programs. CONCLUSION: To develop education programs for medical communication ability, we need to construct the objectives of education and contents by researching students' demands and level of learning in communication area. Moreover we have to design curriculum to maintain the education effects consistently.
Communication ; Curriculum ; Education ; Education, Medical ; Health Communication ; Humans ; Learning ; Schools, Medical*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe nurses' experience of health communication with doctors in the clinical fields. METHODS: Eight experienced clinical nurses working in various units of general hospitals participated. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews and analyzed using the Colaizzi' method. RESULTS: Five themes of nurses' experience of communication were identified: exploring the speaker seriously, becoming aware of emotions and controlling them, developing relationships after lining up for battle, having superficial and withered relationships with doctors, having few resources to promote communications with doctors. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that humanistic and warm interpersonal relationships and genuine sharing of information are necessary to ensure effective communication. Thus, practice guidelines should be re-evaluated and developed to meet the proposed standards; safety-net programs and education for health communication should also be established. Nurse managers should create a high-touch work environment.
Education ; Health Communication* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Nurse Administrators

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is still one of the diseases with highest incidence and mortality world-wide. Vietnam ranked 13 of 22 countries with highest number of tuberculosis patients in the world. Methods and channels is one factor among some important factors which affect effectiveness of health communication activities in general and communication activities for prevention of tuberculosis in particular. Objectives: To describe probable for access tools of health communication among general inhabitants and to determine which methods and tools should be used. Subjects and method: This was a cross-sectional described study. A population based survey was carried out within a demographic surveillance site in Bavi, Ha Tay province. Subjects of the study were adults (> 15 years old) randomly identified at households level. Results and Conclusion: A total of 12143 persons were interviewed. People received TB information from many sources. Commonly, reported sources of information included television (64.6%) and friends/relatives (42.7%). There were different sources of information between men and women. The use of more than one method/channel should be considered in TB health education activities. Commonly, television and loudspeaker were suggested (70.4% and 55.1%).
Tuberculosis/ prevention & ; control ; Residence Characteristics ; Health Communication ;

Biomedical Research ; Communication ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Medical Oncology ; Suggestion

Doctor-patient communication skills are important in family medicine and can be taught and learned. This paper summarizes the salient contents and main methods of the teaching and learning of doctor-patient communication, especially those applicable to the discipline.
Patients ; Communication ; Family Practice ; Educational process of instructing ; Primary Health Care

BACKGROUND: Dissemination of health communication materials is one of the most important strategies to increase awareness on the prevention and control of leptospirosis. One of the projects under the Program on the Prevention and Control of Leptospirosis in the Philippines (LepCon) is the dissemination of health communication materials.
OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the dissemination of health communication materials to 14 city and municipal health offices in the National Capital Region (NCR), Philippines. Specifically, this study determined: (1) how the health communication materials were disseminated by the city and municipal health offices; (2) the placement of the materials in the health facilities; and (3) the challenges encountered during the dissemination process.
RESULTS: The city/municipal health offices used different approaches in disseminating the health
communication materials and these are classified into distribution for public consumption, utilization as health education materials, and maintenance of supply by reproducing the materials in other forms. Eleven (11) out of the 14 city/municipal health offices (78.6%) still had leptospirosis posters. Seven (50%) of them posted the poster in the health facility. However, only four (28.6%) facilities placed the posters in locations where health facility clients can easily see and read them. Two of the 14 city/municipal health offices (14.3%) had an information, education and communication (IEC) display area where the LepCon fan is one of the health communication materials on display. The number of materials provided to the health offices was noted to be inadequate to reach the health facilities' target audiences. Finally, the monitoring and evaluation of health communication materials disseminated to facilities under health offices' jurisdiction was also a big challenge.
CONCLUSIONS: Different approaches were used in disseminating the posters and fans to the health facilities under the jurisdiction of the city/municipal health offices. It was also noted that the number of materials provided to the health offices was not adequate to reach the health facilities' target audiences. Although three-fourths of the health offices covered still have health communication materials in their facility, only less than 25% of these facilities have posters placed in strategic locations in the facility. A formal scheme of monitoring the dissemination of the materials was expressed by the informants.

OBJECTIVES: Services based on the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies have emerged in various business environments. To enhance health service quality and maximize benefits, this study applied an IoT technology based on NFC and iBeacon as an omni-channel service for patient care in hospitals. METHODS: Application of the IoT technology based on NFC and iBeacon was conducted in a general hospital during August 2015 through June 2016, and the development and evaluation results were aligned to an action research framework. The five phases in the action research included diagnosing, planning action, taking action, evaluating action, and specifying learning phases. RESULTS: During the first two phases, problems of functional operations in a hospital were diagnosed and eight service models were designed by using iBeacon and NFC to solve the problems. Service models were applied to the hospital by installing beacons, wearable beacons, beacon scanners, and NFC tags during the third phase. During the fourth and fifth phases, the roles and benefits of stakeholders participating in the service models were evaluated, and issues and knowledge of the whole application process were derived and summarized from technological, economic, social and legal perspectives, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: From an action research perspective, IoT-based healthcare services were developed and verified. IoT-based services enable the hospital to acquire lifelog data for precision medicine and ultimately be able to go one step closer to precision medical care. The derived service models could provide patients more enhanced healthcare services and improve the work efficiency and effectiveness of the hospital.
Commerce ; Computer Communication Networks ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Services ; Health Services Research* ; Hospital Communication Systems ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Internet* ; Learning ; Patient Care ; Precision Medicine ; Telemedicine ; Wireless Technology