The level of understanding of health instructions by patients remains low, that is, most patients have difficulty understanding the indications of their health professional to continue to treat their health after leaving the consultation. The professional oversees the challenge of validating the understanding of the message by the patient. The aim of this study was to demonstrate how verbal and non-verbal communication integrated into an interdependent and aggregated model of specific communication skills—assertiveness, language clarity, and positivity—allow the health professional to be further strengthened and trained to obtain a better understanding of the patient health instructions. The mixed method with a qualitative and quantitative approach was used in a non-probabilistic study with a convenience sample of 484 health professionals, based on a questionnaire survey, 14 focus groups, and 7 in-depth interviews. The results obtained validated the communication model for health literacy, which the author calls the ACP model – assertiveness, clarity, and positivity.
TopThe Health Organization As A Resource Of Human Well-Being And Comfort
Both health units and hospitals are places of passage, though, they are spaces of humanization, care, and interpersonal relationships.
Despite the dynamics that presupposes a health organization, with healthcare promotion, and disease prevention, generating a constant movement of people seeking help for their health or on whom they depend on them, it is also there that comfort, attention and healing is sought (Hibbard & Gilburt, 2014).
Meijers, Potappel, Kloek, et al. (2020) examined the behavior of patients in a question-asking study and found that there were changes over the years (2007-2016) reaching the conclusion that patients asked fewer questions in 2016 than in 2007 and the type of the questions changed significantly. Clinical issues decreased while practical and social issues increased. Patients with lower level of education asked significantly more practical questions than patients with higher education. The type of questions that were usually about disease issues, became more social issues, especially in patients with less schooling (Meijers et al, 2020). Many people who are low literate cannot understand and act on health information (Zarcadoolas, Pleasant & Greer, 2005, p. 196).
Health communication was defined as the art and technique of informing, influencing and motivating individuals, institutional and public audiences on important health issues. Its purpose includes disease prevention, health promotion, healthcare policy, business and improving the quality of life and health of individuals in the community (Ratzan, Stearns, Payne, et al., 1994, p. 362).
We cannot expect people to take health related behaviors and take the actions we advocate without clear communication, activities that promote the development of skills and organizational changes (Williams, Davis, Parker et al, 2002). Self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977; 1993), the intention to act (Ryan, Patrick, Deci, & Williams, 2008) and the stage of motivation in which the person is (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983), are conditioning elements of understanding, as well as, the correct access and use of information and valid decision-making for complex health situations that the person finds.
In this context, people tend to adopt values and behaviors promoted by those with whom they feel related and trust. The relationship established between the professional and the patient is an important vehicle of change. Individuals, when they frequently are or feel vulnerable, lack technical expertise, and therefore seek guidance from the professional (Ryan et al., 2008). Patient involvement and participation in care, as well as issues, information exchange and shared decision-making are significantly correlated with some patient outcomes, especially when they are encouraged by physicians (Haskard, Williams, DiMatteo et al., 2008, p. 513). To make right choices in a complex health system, patients must have available, accurate, timely and easily information, and should know how to use it (Hibbard & Peters, 2003, p. 414). Haskard et al. (2008) report that, in the case of medical students and health professionals in the field of oncology, if there is more feedback on their performance, developed in small groups of debate/discussion, as well as investment on the development of communication skills through tailored training (Vaz de Almeida, 2019), there are benefits not only for the therapeutic relationship, but also, for the established communication process between professional and patient.