Introduction to Health Communication SCOM 270 (Spring 2009)
Towards Becoming Effective Health Care Consumers, Providers, & Advocates
Jim Query, Ph.D.
The purpose of this page is to ID my expectations for the research project that we will be doing and the accompanying content. This document should be used in close conjunction with the Writing Standards Guide, APA guide within research papers, (see classes page), and the StyleWizard [link at the bottom of classes' page]. Handout. To ease your perusal, an outline format is employed.
OPTIONAL RISK-FREE PROSPECTI DUE DATE: February 19, 2009.
FINAL PROSPECTI DUE: March 5, 2009.
PENULTIMATE SECTION RISK FREE DUE: April 9, 2009
FINAL SECTIONS DUE: April 30, 2009.
POINT VALUE: 17 percent for prospectus and 17 percent for the final sections.
PROSPECTUS AND FINAL SECTIONS' LENGTH PARAMETERS:
While I do have reservations about specifiying an exact length, it is expected that a successful prospectus will span about 8-10 PP per person and the final paper will cover approximately 6-10 PP (these are somewhat flexible ranges) per person. Although you will share ideas and coordinate your activities within your group, each group member must author individual sections addressing the parameters noted in this document.
REQUIRED SOURCES:
At least 30, with 10 being shared among the group. Hence, each group member will use 20 sources within his/her sections of the paper. Both the textbooks may be used. At least two CEAs must be used and 14 of one's sources should be from scholarly refereed journals. It is a "good" idea to use some of your sources in the risk-free version so I may ID any concern(s) without penalizing you.
FORMAT:
All papers should adhere to the standards specified in the writing standard guide, use third person, follow correct documentation procedures (APA), must be typed using double-spacing, have page numbers and section labels (see classes page). Assume also that you are writing to a health comm neophyte. A neophyte is one who is new to an area, and thus, has much to discover.
OVERVIEW :
It is often uncomfortable and awkward when working in a small group, especially when you may not have any previous knowledge of each other. These feelings are quite typical so please try not be alarmed. Note also that it is a very sound strategy to strive for a high degree of open-mindedness when tackling pressing health care issues. Such situations tend to be "thorny," potentially polarizing, and fraught with dilemmas. At this juncture, you may also be thinking...."OHHH please...I do not intend to be a physcian, nurse, etc....NOR have I been ill. So, why should I care??? Well...consider that for the grace of a higher power goes each of us...moreover, is there anyone in this room who can convince the rest of us that the American health care system is fine??
Although I have taught health comm for several years, I am still somewhat apprehensive, as I can imagine you are. We will also address some topics that trigger intense feelings. Rather than adhering to one "best solution" when facing such challenges, it is more productive to weigh the pros and cons and attempt to ID the choices that make the most sense for particular individuals given their situation. One example may be helpful. In one of my earlier classes, a small group suggested that we should send ALL individuals with AIDS/HIV to Mars and it was the "BEST" solution....Yep, I am quite serious....
As the course unfolds, we will undoubtedly experience some "speed bumps" and may struggle at various points. Together though---armed with patience, diligence, and commitment---we can "push the envelope" and hopefully develop action plans that could make a difference in the lives of those who are experiencing or affected by the respective health care issues. Make no mistake....the challenge is great, but so too are the potential rewards and I thrive on such hurdles. Hope you do as well. *VBS*
Prospectus Aims
Recall please that in this context, the prospectus is the front-end of your analysis.
What are its specific aims?
Section I----To demonstrate that you have chosen a topic worthy of study, intervention, and
advocacy.
"Oh please, will someone call a doctor for Jim??" (*chuckle, I am a doctor...of philosophy).
Ia---Seriously though, a successful section one will exemplify the following content characteristics:
* Define the disease or illness of interest and explain its known/suspected causes;
* Explain any staging (e.g., cancer is staged from "zero" [pre-cancerous] to stage four
[metasticized and most often fatal; Alzheimer's disease is often staged from early to middle
to late stages; despite clinical classification concerns].
* Drawing from your "cause" explanations above, explain any risk factors and describe
at-risk populations (if any);
* What risk factors, if any, are amenable to health communication social influence
interventions?
* Describe key impacts of this disease or illness spanning multiple domains.
* BE SURE to consider some of the items discussed in class on February 5, 2009.
Section II---To reveal what has been done to address the health issue in the past and the overall effectiveness of pre, present, and post diagnosis strategies.
ASSIGNMENT EXPLICATION:
I. Introduction----Provide a brief overview of the condition and how it affects your population of interest (e.g., Alzheimer's disease and family members; ovarian cancer and women; breast cancer and family members; multiple scerlosis and adolescents; substance abuse and adolescents; eating disorders and young women; prostate/testicular cancer and men; Lou Gehrig's disease and family members; HIV and individuals of color, as well as among males and females; unwanted teen pregnancies and the young women that bear the children; depression in males and females in North America; female gential mutilation in other countries). There are many other possibilities. Your goals in this section are to educate me about the issue, and then explicate some of its impacts on society. Note also that from my perspective, a "problem" is unidimensional (and therefore not appropriate to this analysis). Conversely, an "issue" is multifaceted, dynamic, and often perplexing. The case studies on reserve should be helpful here.
All grp members complete this section. This section is eligible for risk-free review.
II. Past Strategies to Lessen the Issue---Identify and explain at least six strategies (these should not all reside in the same category. For example, one could describe wellness (prediagnosis) strategies such as screening; treatment regimens (once diagnosed), and communication campaigns which have been used to address the issue previously (here one could examine the role of the stages of change or health belief model, as well as salient enabling and blocking forces). Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of prior strategies. (Contemplate how to ascertain the relative ads and disads...consider noted costs....Also, how many folks were reached and/or helped. Be able to decribe the extent to which these strategies were successful, yielded mixed results, or unsuccessful. Scholarly journals and books should be helpful here. The scholarly journal, Health Affairs, is merely one of many possibilities.
Ideally, two grp members complete this section. This section is eligible for risk-free review. Those individuals completing this section do NOT complete section III.
**************************PROSPECTUS STOPS HERE*********************************
III. Recommendations---Based on your grp's working knowledge of the issue (see I and II) as well as past strategies, develop an immediate (first 1-3 yrs), mid (4-6 years), and long-term (more than 6 years out) action plan to lessen the nature and impacts of the selected issue. As much as possible, be specific and realistic here. For example, if unsafe sexual practices are the issue, what campus organizations might be called upon to help tackle the issue? What community-based organizations might be involved? Why would such organizations be best suited to this issue? Be sure to address potential communication channels (e.g., interactive web casts, emails, PSAs), potential message campaigns, and training or workshops that might be brought to bear on the issue. For each part of the plan, provide some cost estimates (these can be culled from prior interventions and from interviews with skilled professionals working in the area). At the close of this section, explicate how we might evaluate the efficacy of any plan?
Ideally, at least two grp members complete this section. This section is eligible for risk-free review. Those individuals completing this section do NOT complete section II.
IV. Feasibility---Present key arguments that support the grp's recommended action plans (see section III). Your action plan should target health care providers, health care consumers, their families/social networks, and governmental bodies (e.g., Congress, state legislatures). Use sources to increase the cogency of your proposals. Be sure to also address how practical the plans would be and advance a justification for your conclusions. All students complete this section. NO RISK FREE review is provided for this section.
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