Health communication has been an issue in my life lately, especially in recent years, but it is an issue that I can influence . My mother was in and out of the hospital. This is why I have attended many meetings with doctors and surgeons, where I only understand a quarter of what they say. This article will focus on the social-psychological traditions involved in the field of health communication, the impact they have on my life, and what I can do to address the problem. Even if doctors don't do it on purpose, the terms they use give the impression that they are not showing empathy towards families. Most of these doctors shared information with me about my mother's chronic illness, but I could not understand most of it because of the medical terminology used. I think if doctors took the time to really get to know a patient and their family, they could connect with them more than with another sick person in a bed. In doing so, families would feel more comfortable with doctors and gain confidence in them and the decisions they make. My father-in-law being an oncologist has benefited me because he is able to break down big words and explain, in simple terms, what is wrong with my mother. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Much of the work that has been done, in health communication, has been in the area of ​​the social-psychological tradition. This essay will examine several different theorists and their views on healthcare communication between doctors and patients. The social-psychological tradition takes a look at the scientific perspective of things which is done through experiments and tests to find credibility. One of the main ideas of the social-psychological tradition is to examine the causes and effects of the experiments carried out. The first psychologist we will look at is Hannah Bayne. Hannah says that when patients bring up their concerns, doctors often change the subject or focus on medical treatment rather than emotional concerns. Unfortunately, when this happens, patients see the message: “this is not what we are here to talk about.” Many patients often want to talk to their doctor about any fears related to their illness. Although doctors may not intend to do so, they often appear to show no emotion about what patients are feeling. The lack of empathy on the part of doctors makes patients afraid to talk to their doctor about their illness. [Patients] are afraid of being relegated to the background. (Bayne) Thompson is another psychologist who has focused on the area of ​​health communication. He was more interested in the tension between doctors and patients. Thompson explains that doctors do not take into account patients' values, beliefs and emotions. In an interview, one doctor said: “Explaining illness is more than just processing clear and thorough information; rather, it is about determining health beliefs and uncertainties in the context of related beliefs and values ​​that constitute our sense of self, roles, and relationships through interaction with health care providers. health, our loved ones and others. As outsiders we think doctors have it pretty easy, we think they just need to report their findings to us in the terminologymedical. It's not that simple for them, there are a lot of things that fall into the field of medicine. A doctor must look beyond just the patient's outer layer; they need to examine values, beliefs, etc. of the patient. (Thompson TL, 6) One thing I want to focus on, and will mention later, is the terminology doctors use when communicating with their patients. Bigi is another social-psychological theorist who focuses on the use of "expert-non-expert" interactions, and how one of the distinguishing characteristics is that there is no or very little shared knowledge between subjects . This means that whether you are a board-certified physician or just an average citizen, there is little to no knowledge shared among people when it comes to medical terminology. It's difficult to feel comfortable around a doctor when they use medical terminology that seems like a foreign language, and it can make people question their choice in medical care. (Bigi, 12) Mary Talen is a psychologist who is conducting a “study aimed at helping patients structure their communication using a written format that can facilitate doctor-patient communication. Patients may become better able to describe their health problems, organize their needs and questions, and be proactive, which may have a positive effect on the quality of doctor-patient communication during outpatient office visits. This shows how little attention the patient's role in the communication process has received and how decision-making abilities depend on communication between doctors and patients. The overall goal of this study was to help/teach patients to be more affective in the way they communicate with their doctors. (Talen, 4) Now that we have taken a look at the social-psychological tradition, I want to look at two traditions that I believe should be involved in health communication; semiotic and rhetorical traditions. These traditions offer the benefit of terminology and a created space for physician and patients. In today's society, there can be some confusion when it comes to communication between doctors, patients and their family members. This problem calls for a rhetorical and semiotic analysis. The semiotic tradition focuses on signs and symbols; clear and simple. We can see how the semiotic tradition comes into play in health communication in the way doctors use confusing medical terminology while communicating with patients and their family members that may simply provoke them into a state of panic. I would like to take a look at the works of Arthur Berger, who spent most of his time studying semiotics. I think Berger would say that doctors mess up semiotics by creating high anxiety in their patients. The fact that doctors use bad words when informing a patient of their results can scare almost anyone. Therefore, bad words don't help. However, I can't put all the blame on the doctors. Health communication requires patients to be better medically informed. Doctors use words that are inappropriate for their audience; poorly chosen words for their listeners; words that eliminate the role of emotion in doctor-patient or doctor-family interactions. There is nothing wrong with medical terminology, until it is placed in the middle of painful circumstances. The doctors are well trained and there is something wonderful about their terminology. The doctor can actually provide some measure ofcomfort in being an expert. If the doctor actually has a name for something that causes a person a lot of pain or fear, the term (even if it is very broad and aggressive) can give the patient hope. If there's a name, maybe there's a cure. What matters is not only the big medical terms, but also the way the words are used and the way the doctor recognizes the patient as a human being. It is not the choice of words that are used, but the way in which the words are used. There are a few things doctors can do to help the patient feel more comfortable, besides reducing/explaining medical terminology. However, one thing doctors can do is establish a personal connection with their patients. Dr. Steven Abramson says, "I think all of us as physicians should understand that our primary role is not only to help people, but to truly understand them and make sure that every encounter with a patient is something that he leaves with a feeling better." (Moisse, 2 years old) The first and foremost goal of the doctor is not only to help people, but they must be able to connect with their patients, so the patient can trust them “You have to know their life, their home, their social network,” said Matthew Mercuri, a first-year medical student at Langone, “You have to see the big picture. to be able to understand the role of illness." (Moisse, 2 years old) Focusing more on the rhetorical approach, which is my own identity and how it affects me as a suffering family member, in this essay we will examine aspects of “feelings” and the physician's use of empathy in communication. We will also look at how the doctor's speeches. seem to be repeated and the effect it has on patients and even on patients' families “The rhetorician aims to find what is right, suitable and appropriate to the situation. Rhetorical competence facilitates the caress offered to others. need help. (Hyde, 46) This is the perfect example of how Hyde tells us that when communicating, there is a specific type of rhetoric to use for every situation in life. When looking at Hyde's works, he discusses the term ". space." In this space, we, as individuals, can feel involved in the world and we feel like we have a say in decision-making. Doctors are faced with a philosophy and they must understand that to live well and think well their patients need a space to openly and comfortably discuss medical issues with them without feeling uneducated If doctors don't acknowledge each patient's pain and story, it seems. that the only thing they care about is the patient's illness, not the patient's feelings and emotions. To understand this, we need to delve deeper into what space and ethos have to do. with recognition, Hyde says: “Recognition provides a way out of such a painful situation, because the act of recognizing is a process of recognition, a communicative behavior that gives attention to others and thus makes space for them. in our lives. This additional living space offers the opportunity for a fresh start, a “second chance” through which everyone can improve their lot in life. There is hope to be found with this transformation of space and time, as people's consciousness chooses to go out of their way to make us feel wanted and needed, to praise our presence and actions, and thus recognize the value of our existence. Providing positive recognition is a moral thing to do.