Developing the International Association for Communication in Healthcare (EACH) to address current challenges of health communication

Sara Rubinelli; Jonathan Silverman; Karolien Aelbrecht; Myriam Deveugele; Arnstein Finset; Gerry Humphris; Peter Martin; Marcy Rosenbaum; Sandra van Dulmen; Evelyn van Weel-Baumgarten

doi:10.1016/j.pec.2019.01.004

Developing the International Association for Communication in Healthcare (EACH) to address current challenges of health communication

Patient Educ Couns. 2019 Jun;102(6):1217-1221. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2019.01.004. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, University of Lucerne and Swiss Paraplegic Research, Frohburgstrasse 3, P.O. Box 4466, 6002 Lucerne, Switzerland; Swiss Paraplegic Research, Guido Zäch Institute, Guido Zäch Strasse 4a, 6207 Nottwil, Switzerland. Electronic address: sara.rubinelli@unilu.ch.
² School of Medicine, Deakin University, Australia; School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: js355@medschl.cam.ac.uk.
³ Ghent University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: karolien.aelbrecht@ugent.be.
⁴ Ghent University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: myriam.deveugele@ugent.be.
⁵ University of Oslo, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, 1111, Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: arnstein.finset@medisin.uio.no.
⁶ University of St Andrews, Medical School, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TF, UK. Electronic address: gmh4@st-andrews.ac.uk.
⁷ Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: peter.martin@deakin.edu.au.
⁸ University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, US. Electronic address: marcy-rosenbaum@uiowa.edu.
⁹ Rodboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Primary and Community Care, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for health services research), Utrecht, the Netherlands; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Drammen, Norway. Electronic address: S.vanDulmen@nivel.nl.
¹⁰ Rodboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Primary and Community Care, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Electronic address: Evelyn.vanWeel-Baumgarten@radboudumc.nl.

PMID: 30661729
DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2019.01.004

Abstract

In 2017, EACH celebrated its change of name from European Association for Communication in Healthcare to EACH: International Association for Communication in Healthcare. This paper aims to present the developments and achievements of EACH over the past five years with a focus on its mission in promoting and advancing the field of communication in healthcare. Specifically, the paper focuses on how EACH, first, promotes research in the field of health communication, second, provides support, resources and sharing for healthcare communication teachers and, third, aims at influencing policy through dissemination of evidence. This paper also explores future challenges and directions for EACH to further strengthen its impact by designing activities in knowledge transfer and knowledge dissemination, engaging with patients and truly benefitting from their expertise, fostering active participation and networking among its members, targeting interventions to the needs of different countries around the world and refining knowledge-sharing and cooperation both within the membership of EACH and outside the association to as wide an audience as possible. Scholars, educators and practitioners active in the field of healthcare communication are invited to comment on this paper and to actively contribute towards the goals of EACH.

Keywords: Communication research; Communication training; EACH; Healthcare communication; Healthcare communication education; Healthcare policy; Healthcare practice; Provider-patient communication.

MeSH terms

Health Communication*
Humans
International Agencies / organization & administration*
Organizational Objectives