Instructor: Richard Kravitz, Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, School of Medicine
Description: In the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, the Captain of Road Prison 36 says to an impudent Paul Newman as he knocks him to the floor, “What we got here, is a failure to communicate.” This assessment could just as easily apply to the world of health care, where communication affects how patients receive and process health-related information, how doctors stay current about medical developments, how members of the health care team interact, and how medical mistakes are avoided – or not. This seminar will explore different aspects of health communication. Topics to be covered will include elements of good communication; the role of the mass media in communicating health information; how commercial messaging (such as direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs) affects patient and physician behavior; miscommunication as a root cause of medical error and malpractice suits; communicating with special populations (such as patients with limited English proficiency and those with disabilities); and measuring patient-physician communication. Approximately 50% of class time will be devoted to discussion. The goals of the seminar include: 1) Define important elements of health communication including the role of message, messenger, and recipient; 2) Describe pitfalls in communication in different health contexts: and 3) Understand how different health policies (e.g., decreasing reimbursement for doctor visits or banning direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs) would affect the health of the public and/or health care costs.
Format: The Seminar will meet weekly on Mondays from 4:30-5:45. Requirements include participation in weekly lecture/discussion sections and a 1000 word expository essay that takes a measured, defensible position on a health communication controversy in research, clinical care, or policy. Grading: Grading based 50% on participation and 50% on the essay.
About the Instructor: Richard Kravitz is Professor of Internal Medicine and a member of the core facility at the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care. His research interests center on the role of communication in assuring and improving quality of care. In his most recent major project, Kravitz sent actors into physicians’ offices feigning symptoms and requesting medications that they had seen advertised on TV. He is also a practicing internist who sees adult inpatients and outpatients at UC Davis Medical Center.