Skillful communication in healthcare is key to achieving the established goals of healthcare facilities across the country. Healthcare administrators and healthcare providers need to be able to communicate effectively with patients to improve outcomes and decrease the equity gap. Additionally, healthcare organizations must communicate with stakeholders to enhance their brand reputation and position themselves for success within a community. With all this in mind, more than ever, there is an undeniable need for specialized healthcare communications professionals.
Why Communication in Healthcare Is Crucial
According to research published by BMC Health Services, communication serves as the cornerstone of high-quality healthcare. An effective communication strategy allows healthcare organizations, facilities and providers to share valuable and accurate information with key stakeholders — which may include patients, caregivers, community members and policy developers.
Why is communication important in healthcare? Several benefits of creating a strategic communication plan for a healthcare organization include:
Patient Outcomes
Proper communication in healthcare can have a direct impact on patient outcomes. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, healthcare providers are often faced with the challenge of balancing increasing patient case volumes with decreasing availability of time with each patient, underscoring the importance of empathetic communication and shared decision-making. Prioritizing communication with their patients, providers can improve diagnosis accuracy, increase treatment adherence rates and boost overall patient satisfaction ratings.
Operational Efficiency
When healthcare organizations develop and implement a strategic communication plan, they can elevate operational efficiency within their healthcare facilities. Internal communication strategies can enhance coordination among healthcare teams, ensuring that healthcare providers can maximize their time with patients.
Crisis Management
Communication is a pivotal piece of crisis management. Effective communication during health crises (such as the pandemic that swept the world in 2020) can help reduce fear and confusion while giving providers and patients vital information they need about the best next steps to take. According to the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, crisis communication in healthcare requires healthcare leaders and providers to partner with communications professionals to develop consistent messaging that emphasizes the importance of protecting the health of the entire community — and to identify key channels to use to distribute that messaging.
Challenges and Barriers
The barriers in healthcare communication necessitate professionals to remain aware of the most common challenges of effectively sharing information in the field. Healthcare communications professionals often have to work to craft messaging about complex medical topics in a way that is understandable to the average person as well as diverse populations. Notable obstacles in healthcare communication include language differences, cultural barriers and information overload.
Strategic Communication in Healthcare
According to the Rural Health Information Hub, strategic communication in healthcare involves:
- Implementing research-based and data-driven strategies in order to identify the key audience for all messaging
- Evaluating which channels are best for messaging
- Embedding cultural awareness into each communication
- Prioritizing the use of health literature and medical research within all communications
Key Strategic Communication Components
- Messaging – Messaging must be clear and consistent for all stakeholders, including providers and patients.
- Audience analysis – Health communications professionals must complete market research to identify and understand the target audience, keeping in mind diverse types of patients and their unique needs.
- Stakeholder engagement – Communication professionals need to collaborate with healthcare providers, patients and external partners to develop messaging that is relevant and useful.
- Campaign planning – Healthcare communications specialists are responsible for designing and implementing health awareness and promotional campaigns that have an impact on the health of the entire population.
Impact on Healthcare Organizations
- Reputation management – Communication plans help healthcare organizations maintain a positive public image.
- Patient engagement – Strategic communication plans increase patient engagement and encourage them to become involved in their own care.
- Policy advocacy – Healthcare organizations can leverage the power of strategic communication to influence health policies.
Real-World Applications
Hospitals around the country leverage strategic communication on a daily basis to improve communication efforts with key stakeholders including providers, patients, insurance companies and community leaders. According to the American Hospital Association, hospitals rely extensively on strategic communication methods like:
- Identifying key organizations in the community to partner with in order to deliver messaging to diverse populations.
- Prioritizing transparency and utilizing advanced technology to swiftly deliver information, particularly during a time of crisis.
- Leveraging social media to increase accessibility and engagement. For example, during the pandemic, one hospital used Facebook Live to provide specific populations within the community with personalized information.
Key Skills Gained From a Master’s Degree in Strategic Communications for Healthcare
Those who further their education in communication can emerge with competencies that are applicable to the healthcare realm, such as:
- Audience research and segmentation – Graduates will be able to identify and understand target audiences within diverse patient groups.
- Message development and delivery – Graduates will be able to craft messages tailored to different communication platforms.
- Crisis communication – Graduates will be able to develop strategies to manage and communicate during healthcare emergencies.
- Digital communication – Graduates will be comfortable utilizing digital tools and social media platforms for patient engagement and information dissemination.
- Data analysis – Graduates will be able to harvest and analyze data utilizing key metrics to measure the effectiveness of communication campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
- Leadership and collaboration – Graduates will be equipped with the leadership skills to oversee communication teams and work collaboratively across departments.
Career Opportunities in Healthcare Strategic Communication
Those with a master's degree in strategic communications are uniquely qualified for some of the leading healthcare communications jobs, due to their advanced understanding of the data-driven techniques required to create effective strategic communications plans. The following are a few career opportunities in healthcare strategic communication to consider:
Health Communications Specialist
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a health communication specialist is a professional who crafts messaging that promotes health initiatives that will benefit the community at large. They are primarily responsible for creating educational materials, managing public health campaigns and increasing engagement in the community.
Healthcare Public Relations Specialist
Healthcare public relations specialists are responsible for managing the public image of healthcare organizations. According to PRLab, healthcare public relations plays a critical role in allowing healthcare organizations to share their messaging with stakeholders — largely because effective healthcare public relations increases trust in the community. A healthcare public relations specialist may be tasked with handling media relations, writing press releases and managing crisis communications.
Internal Communications Manager
Internal communications managers are often employed directly by a healthcare organization to oversee internal communication. They craft messaging to help ensure that all staff members are informed about policies, changes and organizational goals.
Patient Experience Specialist
A patient experience specialist, sometimes referred to as a patient engagement specialist, is a communications professional who frequently works directly with patients. They are responsible for gathering patient feedback, implementing improvement initiatives and training staff on patient interaction.
Healthcare Strategist
A healthcare strategist is a communications position for experienced professionals with advanced qualifications. They rely not only on communications strategies, but also business strategies to develop long-term plans that support organizational goals. They may be responsible for analyzing market trends, planning strategic initiatives and advising on communication policies.
Corporate Communication Specialist
A corporate communication specialist may be employed by a healthcare organization or work for an outside firm contracted by the organization. They handle both internal and external communications for large healthcare organizations, with the goal of improving engagement and building trust among key stakeholders.
Why Pursue a Master’s Degree in Strategic Communications for a Healthcare Career
A master's degree in strategic communications is the ideal qualification for a healthcare career because it will provide you with:
- Advanced skill set – This graduate degree program focuses specifically on the skills needed for a career in healthcare communication, including data collection and analytics.
- Career advancement – The advanced coursework required for this program could help prepare you for higher-level positions and leadership roles in healthcare communication.
- Competitive advantage – This distinct graduate degree program will help you stand out in the job market, highlighting your advanced education and industry-specific expertise.
How UMN’s Strategic Communication Master’s Program Prepares You for Healthcare Communication Roles
At the University of Minnesota, we offer a master's in strategic communication that allows you to build upon your existing experience as a communications or public relations professional as well as develop the advanced skills to create comprehensive and effective strategic communication plans.
Throughout this graduate degree program, you will benefit from:
Practical Experience
All students must complete a capstone project in which they develop and implement a strategic communication plan. Those interested in healthcare communication can focus on the unique challenges within this industry. In addition, students may enjoy opportunities to pursue internships with healthcare organizations, nonprofits and public health agencies.
Support Services
The University of Minnesota offers support services for all students to help ensure their success. Anyone enrolled in the master's in strategic communication degree program can access career services to enhance their resume, practice their interviewing skills and browse available opportunities in the local area. They can also take advantage of networking opportunities that allow them to access new and exciting opportunities in the healthcare communication field.
Start Your Master’s Degree in Strategic Communications at UMN
At the University of Minnesota, our Professional Master of Arts in Strategic Communication degree program enables professionals in public relations, media and communications to develop the advanced analytical skills to create and implement data-driven communication plans. Those who wish to specialize in healthcare communications will find that this program equips them with the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue professional opportunities in this niche sector. Request more information about this graduate degree program today.
