Medical Tourism & Communication

Medical tourism (MT), sometimes referred to as health tourism or medical travel, involves both the treatment of illness and the facilitation of wellness, with travel. Medical tourism is a multifaceted and multiphase process involving many agents and actors that requires careful planning and execution. The coordinated process involves the biomedical, transportation, tourism, and leisure industries. From the communication perspective, the process can be viewed as a 5-stage model consisting of the: (a) orientation, (b) preparation, (c) experiential and treatment, (d) convalescence, and (e) reflection phases. Medical tourism is uniquely situated in a nexus of academic literature related to communication, business and management, travel and tourism, policy and law, healthcare and health administration. Communication permeates and perpetuates the medical tourism process and does so at the levels of interpersonal interactions (provider-patient communication), small group (healthcare teams), organizational (between healthcare providers), and mass and computer-mediated communication (marketing, advertising, and patient social support). This process may, in some cases, involve high rates of international and intercultural variation. Further study of the MT process can help to gain a better understanding of how healthcare consumers evaluate information about medical procedures and possible risks, as well as the specific message features and effects associated with various communication channels and information delivery systems. Continuing scholarly efforts also should focus on the relationship between medical tourism and communication

Overcoming the “dual-delivery” stigma: A review of patient-centeredness in the Costa Rica medical tourism industry

Due to the growing globalization of health care and an increase in access to technology many consumers are utilizing the World Wide Web for securing medical services abroad, a phenomenon commonly known as medical tourism. The current investigation employs an emic cultural approach for analyzing the Western concept of patient-centeredness within several public and private medical facilities within Costa Rica. Through a detailed field investigation and personal interviews with directors of Costa Rica’s largest accrediting institutions (AAAAF and ProMed), hospital organizations, and private health clinics an interpretative framework for evaluating patient-centeredness and quality of care is offered. Discussion, implications, and future directions are provided

Ready.gov: Who’s Ready, Really? Examining Principles of Inclusivity and Universal Design in Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness Public Information Websites

Nearly 20 years ago, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched Ready.gov, a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies such as natural and technological disasters. To date, little is known about the accessibility and adaptability of this information for vulnerable populations including persons with disabilities (PwDs) and those with limited English proficiency (LEP). This computer-automated analysis seeks (1) to determine the general web, mobile and language accessibility of state websites which extend and/or amplify the Ready.gov national campaign goals, (2) to evaluate the document accessibility of downloadable emergency preparedness information, and, based on findings, (3) reflect upon improvement opportunities for disaster and emergency management preparedness messaging processes to vulnerable populations. An exploratory, quantitative content analysis relying on computer-automated software is used to assess the web, language, mobile and document accessibility of Ready.gov state-affiliated websites dedicated to providing public information for emergency preparedness and disaster response. Additional factors such as the use of CAPTCHA, adherence to the Matterhorn Protocol, disclosure of accessibility policy statements, and the presence of tailored information are evaluated. No significant differences among FEMA regions were found. The most frequent errors were likely to impact the POUR dimensions of perceivability and operability. In all, 76% of the Ready.gov state-affiliated websites had WCAG Level AA detectable accessibility failures on the home pages. Furthermore, 62% of the sites offered translational language formats for LEP users, while only 6% (n=3 role= presentation style= box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; line-height: normal; word-spacing: normal; overflow-wrap: normal; text-wrap: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; \u3en=3�=3) explicitly provided PwDs an option to report accessibility-related user experiences to the agency. Document accessibility was deemed to be poor with 80% of the websites disseminating downloadable .pdfs such as emergency planning guides and preparedness kits in inaccessible digital formats. These findings identify opportunities for improvement specifically, in the web, mobile and document accessibility of information associated with the Ready.gov national campaign. We argue that improvement and compliance is expected to reduce the likelihood of litigation, increase the resilience of vulnerable populations, and improve user experiences

Controlling Environmental Crisis Messages in Uncontrollable Media Environments: The 2011 Case of Blue-green Algae on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, OK

This chapter documents a content analysis of 62 media reports related to the 2011 blue-green algae (BGA) outbreak on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Oklahoma. A three-stage crisis model is used to understand the media framing and crisis communication related to the event. Media reports were categorized according to modality. The data set included: traditional media reports (n=21, 33%), online blogs (n=7, 11%), and online press releases (n=34, 54%). These units of analysis represent both controlled and uncontrolled media representations of the crisis event. The objectives of this analysis are to understand how risk and crisis communication strategies were utilized before, during and after the BGA outbreak. Five strategies and techniques for improving crisis communication effectiveness are detailed. Limitations and implications are provided

Tar Creek: The Most Toxic Area in the U.S.

Sixteenth Annual Gene DeGruson Memorial Lecture. Dr. Robert Nairn and Dr. Alicia Mason, speakers.https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/degruson_lecture/1015/thumbnail.jp

Medical Tourism: The Role of Communication Regarding Risks and Benefits of Obtaining Medical Services Abroad.

The ever-increasing globalization of healthcare has led to a greater number of consumers using the World Wide Web for the purpose of accessing health information and medical services that transcends international borders (Kangas, 2010; Lunt, Mannion, & Exworthy, 2012; MacReady, 2007; Snyder, Crooks, Adams, Kingsbury, & Johnston, 2011). When faced with the high cost of health care or limited treatment options in the United States, more and more Americans are looking to developing countries to obtain a variety of health-related services, including cosmetic surgery, dentistry, diagnostic testing, fertility treatment, and major surgeries such as heart valve operations and organ transplants (Dalstrom, 2012; Snyder et al., 2011; Sono, Herlihy, & Bicker, 2011). The number of people buying health-related products and accessing health information and medical services in developing countries via the Internet is increasing (Lunt, Hardey, & Mannion, 2010). According to Turner (2010), in the United States, popularization of medical tourism is related to social inequalities, loss of employer-provided health insurance, rising premiums for health insur­ance, limited public funding of health care, and lack of access to affordable health care. Turner (2010) also contends that the United States, due to its large and growing population of unin­sured, under-lnsured, and people struggling to pay rising health insurance premiums, has become a leading target market for foreign medical facilities seeking international customers. In contrast to these motivators, patients from countries with less restricted health care, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, can choose to travel to foreign countries for immediate medical attention as an alternative to the long wait periods of nationalized health care systems (Boyle, 2008)

Public Opinion & U.S. Foreign Policy: Investigating the Impact of Political Television Dramas on Audience Perceptions of Current U.S. Foreign Policy Engagement and Effectiveness

Political TV dramas have become increasingly popular with audiences as a source of entertainment after the 2016 presidential election, particularly programs depicting the functions of the executive branch of government (CenturyLink, 2017) This research investigates how political TV dramas, as compared to network news coverage of U.S. foreign policy events, influence the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of U.S. audience viewers. Using agenda-setting as the theoretical frame, this study employs a quantitative experimental design in order to measure participants’ pre- and post- attitudes on four variables; knowledge of U.S. foreign policy events, impression of U.S. diplomacy tactics, the persuasiveness of media content, and examines changes in public support for diplomatic foreign policy efforts. Participants additionally reported the perceived source credibility, media usage habits, and frequency of exposure to political dramas and nightly news. Materials and measures received approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Voluntary participants were recruited from introductory communication and political science classes from a Midwest university. Participants viewed one episode of the political TV drama, Madam Secretary, as well as a news story covering a similar, real life event. The presentations were systematically rotated to avoid ordering effects and a control group was included for research integrity. A survey instrument was used to gather the data related to the hypothesis and research questions advanced in the study. The findings report how audience attitudes are impacted by dramatic depictions of U.S. foreign policy events compared to nightly network news. Limitations, discussion and future directions will be addressed

Images of Alzheimer’s: A visual analysis of the imagery used to globally market Alzheimer’s services online​

Currently more than 46 million people are living with dementia globally (ADI, 2015). The World Health Organization (WHO) reports the worldwide population of persons 60 years of age and older will more than triple between 2000 and 2050 to two billion. The concept of Western patients receiving long-term dementia care in foreign countries is a new and emerging phenomenon (Gray, 2013; Pomareda, 2014; Wegerer, 2014). This study examines the visual images within Alzheimer’s care facility websites (n=105) and uses a cross cultural comparison lens to contrast differences in patient representations and treatment facilities. The goal of this study is to analyze the differences in representations of Alzheimer’s patients, their caregivers, and the visual representations of their skills, abilities, and environmental surroundings. Results from this study found that international regions vary the visual representations of Alzheimer’s patients, providers, caregivers, treatment options, and types of social interactions (e.g., family, other patients). More multiculturalism and ethnic diversity was documented in memory care centers in the Southeast Asia and Western Pacific WHO regions. Discussion, limitations, and future directions are provided

Immunization communication in ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’: Inoculation theory, health messaging, and children’s entertainment television

Entertainment education research has shown that television programs can communicate important health information to television viewers. Much of this research focuses on mass media effects (e.g., behavioral intention of viewers, post-viewing; attitudinal change, post-viewing). Less is known about the rhetorical strategies employed in such messaging. We review para-social and para-proxemics literature to describe the viewing context and then offer a detailed rhetorical analysis of immunization messaging on the children’s television program, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” arguing that, aptly, Fred Rogers’ rhetorical framing mirrored that of the inoculation theory of resistance to influence, presenting “weak” challenges to his young viewers to help them to build resistance to stronger challenges encountered later. We conclude that, in a sense, the episode inoculated against inoculation fears