Assessment 2 Research Study: Effective Communication in Public Health

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Project Management
(Project Communication Planning)
Assessment 2 Research Study
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................3
2. Current Communication Plan..................................................................................................................3
3. Communication Plan Assessment Vs Project Management Practice.......................................................4
4. Recommendations...................................................................................................................................5
5. Justification..............................................................................................................................................5
6. Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................6
References...................................................................................................................................................7

1. Introduction
In the time of a serious disease epidemic, in order for the senior managers to provide an effective
response, they should have access to all the recent information and knowledge to take appropriate
actions. This will need better integration of the information systems of various health organisations to
share the patient and disease information in their respective organisations. To successfully implement
this integration of ISs, it is mandatory to have effective communication between all the stakeholders
involved in the project. This report will briefly describe the current communication plan and provide
necessary improvements using efficient project management skill.
2. Current Communication Plan
Communication in the health industry is used to spread the information of health problems of a
particular patient and the choices made about the health by that patient. Currently, many IT and digital
tools are used by health organisations to support the patients in managing their health. The information
about the health of a patient is usually shared between health organisations in the form of plain texts
through emails, messages, telephone or direct communications, and such services. The information
shared plays an important role in the treatment of a patient and impacts the decisions and steps taken
regarding the patient’s health [1].
Issues and Problems in Current Communication System
The sharing of information in the current scenario is very inefficient and is not considered as an
important practice. There are certain issues related to the Public Health Informatics and the information
sharing process, like:
1. Informatics is a growing field that focused on improving health-related decision-making skills
and public health. But still, it is not considered important for scientific researches.
2. People look forward to understanding new systems, data, and technology developed, not the
informaticist behind these developments.
3. The role of informatics in the health industry is not properly recognized.
4. The informatics and other related technologies are quite unfamiliar in the health sector.
5. Very limited understanding of how the system can be integrated with the information system
and other technologies.
6. Highly skilled experts also have limited knowledge of informatics [1].

All these issues and problems are due to improper communication between the health organisations
and stakeholders associated with them. Also, the information systems of these organisations work
separately on their prespecified terms and there is limited interconnection between the ISs of the health
organisations and institutes.
3. Communication Plan Assessment Vs Project Management
Practice
A good communication plan is not only practicing direct communication but also to be able to share
important information efficiently and integrate the knowledge gained to provide the best health services
to the patients. The areas to be analyzed and improved for a perfect communication plan are:
Improving the Data System
The process of collecting, relating, processing, integrating and distributing particular data forms a Data
system. It helps in improving health practices by standardizing data collection and processing practices.
It can be improved by increasing the use of accurate processes and technologies, and by interviewing
the patients using computer assistance.
Improving Information Systems
The system converts the data collected daily by an organisation, into useful information, like graphs,
diagrams, models, statistical tables, etc. It does not require programming by the users unlike, Data
Systems. It is very important for health organisations to integrate the information generated by each
other to develop highly effective health practices [2].
Improving Communication
The improvement in the communication will provide dynamism in accessing and sharing information in
the health industry. Effective communication practices simply the understanding of different systems,
and collection and flow of health-related information.
Project management practices which will help in designing a better communication plan for the health
industry are:
1. Analyzing the problems associated with improper communication.

2. Selecting an effective intervention to attract the attention of the stakeholders in the health
industry.
3. Identifying the audiences which are relevant to the health sector. The audiences can be properly
categorized by analyzing the range of impact on the people. The primary audience, for example,
is the group of people whose thoughts are to be changed or targeted.
4. Select communication strategy for categorized audiences. This includes making the decision of
whether to just inform the audience or try to persuade them towards some goals.
5. Selection of trustable partners who will support the initiative [5].
4. Recommendations
The main recommendations that support the research are the importance of “Health Informatics” in
improving the public health services, the importance of a great plan and strategy to narrate the idea of
better health services, the importance of using simplified terminologies and communication medium to
increase corporation. The health industry should be willing to understand the problems in the current
system and should address some major questions like:
 Why is informatics necessary in the health industry?
 What are the concepts and components of PHI?
 What are the components of PHI?
 Why is there a need for the integration of the information system?
 Why effective communication is important?
The answers to the above questions can help in bridging the gap between different Data and
Information Systems in the health industry [3].
5. Justification
The proposed plan of developing an efficient communication plan to help in the integration of the health
organizations’ information system. Effective communication can be used to address the issues
mentioned above:
1. Communication can generate some understanding of informatics.
2. It can educate the professionals about the role of informaticists.
3. Can show how PHI can solve many health problems.
4. Help to overcome challenges in integrating multiple information systems [1].

6. Conclusion
This report mainly focuses on the importance of “Public Health Informatics” and effective
communication strategies to spread the knowledge and understanding of the solutions to various
problems in the Health Industry. The report uses the project management skills to design and
implements a useful communication plan for the stakeholders and health professionals so that the gap
between Data Systems in the health sector can be bridged properly.

References
[1] M. Fond, A. Volmert, and N. Taylor, “Making Public Health Informatics Visible: Communicating
an Emerging Field”, Frame Works Institute, vol. 1, pp. 20-32, 2019.
[2] C. Parvanta, “A public health communication planning framework”, Jones & Bartlett Learning,
pp. 20-30, 2019.
[3] T. G. Savel, S. Foldy, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “The role of public health
informatics in enhancing public health surveillance”, MMWR Surveill Summ, vol. 61, no.2,
pp.20-24, 2012.
[4] Thecommunityguide.org, “Health Communication and Health Information Technology”. [online]
Available: https://www.thecommunityguide.org/sites/default/files/assets/What-Works-Health-
Communication-Health-Information-Technology.pdf/ (Accessed 26 Apr. 2019).
[5] E. W. Austin, and B. E. Pinkleton, “Strategic public relations management: Planning and
managing effective communication campaigns”, Routledge 2015.