Understanding Health Communication

Health communication is a smaller part of the human communication process which focuses on how individuals handle health related issues. Basically health communication is any form of human communication that is concerned with health. Often these communications focus on a specific health related interaction and the factors that influence them.

This communication is not just limited to verbal interaction. These health communication transactions can be verbal, nonverbal, oral, or written. They are not necessarily personal meaning that the communication can be related to issues as well as relationships.

Usually people consider health communication to be interactions between a patient and caretaker when health communication also includes transactions between health care administration and staff.

At the level of mass communication health communication refers to areas such as national and world health programs. Informing the public of various health related issues and activities such as drug research, the spread of illnesses, and available treatments.

This form of health communication is often done with the help of presentations, speeches, and public addresses made by individuals such as the Surgeon General.