Communication and Public Involvement in Public Health Service Provision 1

The Relationship between Communication and Public Involvement in Relation to Public Health

Service Provision

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 Communication and Public Involvement in Public Health Service Provision 2

The Relationship between Communication and Public Involvement in Relation to Public Health

Service Provision

In public relations, communication plays a crucial role in aiding the exchange of

information. According to Ratna (2019), communication is of primary significance in the

provision of public health services. In public health provision, communication and public

involvement are correlated in that health care professionals use communication to

engage/involve the public with the objective of achieving better healthcare outcomes.

Public involvement/participation refers to any process, which openly involves the public

in decision-making. Ideally, though such a process, the inputs of the target population (public)

are given utmost consideration in decision making processes. Just like in other sectors, public

involvement in the delivery of healthcare is only possible through communication. According to

the Institute for Healthcare Communication (IHC) (2011), several studies have underscored the

importance of effective communication in aiding better health outcomes for both healthcare

professional and patients. For instance, the patients’ satisfaction of the quality of care services

provided is mainly dependent on the nature of interactions with the healthcare professionals

(IHC 2011). According to IHC (2011), effective communication is of benefit in the care delivery

because it enhances patient participation in their care plan, patient self-management, and

treatment adherence. Of particular interest, the interrelation between communication and public

involvement has played a critical role in addressing HIV/AIDs in South Africa. Tomori et al.,

(2014) note that in HIV prevention efforts, the role played by health communication is notable

and especially in African nations, including South Africa. Ideally, communication has been used

to create awareness concerning the HIV/AIDS pandemic; which underscore the aspect of public

involvement in mitigating the pandemic. Notably, through effective health communication,

 Communication and Public Involvement in Public Health Service Provision 3

better healthcare outcomes of the HIV/AIDs contagion have been achieved in South Africa

because of the patient participation in their care plan, patient self-management, and treatment

adherence.
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References

Institute for Healthcare Communication (IHC), 2011. Impact of Communication in Healthcare.

[online] Available at: <https://healthcarecomm.org/about-us/impact-of-communication-

in-healthcare/> [Accessed 24 February 2021].

Ratna, H., 2019. The Importance of Effective Communication in Healthcare [online] Harvard

Public Health Review. Available at:

<https://harvardpublichealthreview.org/healthcommunication/> [Accessed 24 February

2021].

Tomori, C., Risher, K., Limaye, R., Van Lith, L., Gibbs, S., Smelyanskaya, M. and Celentano,

D., 2014. A Role for Health Communication in the Continuum of HIV Care, Treatment,

and Prevention. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes,

66(Supplement 3), pp.S306-S310.