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Perspectives on Medical Education Jun 2018
Topics: Emotions; Humans; Logic; Persuasive Communication; Writing
PubMed: 29736855
DOI: 10.1007/s40037-018-0420-2 -
BMC Health Services Research Sep 2020When one thinks of opportunities to engage patients, the marketing communications mix often is the first thing that comes to mind. Its five components of advertising,...
BACKGROUND
When one thinks of opportunities to engage patients, the marketing communications mix often is the first thing that comes to mind. Its five components of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing represent tried and true pathways for establishing productive dialogues with customers of healthcare institutions. But in formulating and deploying the marketing communications mix, health and medical establishments must not neglect foundational elements which play vital communicative roles, impacting the perspectives of patients and influencing associated patronage.
DISCUSSION
Many things communicate on behalf of healthcare organizations, including the people employed by them, the places in which they deliver services, and the brands that represent them. As foundational elements of communication, these must be addressed prior to formulating the marketing communications mix, as they influence and impact an institution's entire communicative potential. Their initial development, however, is just the beginning, as these elements must be managed and maintained continually over the course of organizational life. This article profiles foundational elements of communication and discusses their importance in healthcare marketing, generally, and marketing communications, specifically, providing useful insights for maximizing communicative synergies.
CONCLUSIONS
Given the importance of engaging current and prospective patients, healthcare establishments must take steps to ensure exceptional prowess in this area, with communicative skills and abilities being of paramount importance. Proficient deployment of the marketing communications mix is essential, but healthcare providers must also be certain to direct attention toward foundational elements, ensuring that given institutions realize their full communicative potential.
Topics: Health Personnel; Humans; Louisiana; Marketing of Health Services; Organizational Case Studies; Persuasive Communication
PubMed: 32928207
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-020-05604-9 -
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Feb 2007Face to face communication strategies are effective
Face to face communication strategies are effective
Topics: Chest Pain; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Humans; Persuasive Communication; Physician-Patient Relations; Truth Disclosure
PubMed: 17303841
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.39121.361910.80 -
Cognitive Research: Principles and... Sep 2022Consumers are exposed to large amounts of advertising every day. One way to avoid being manipulated is to monitor the sources of persuasive messages. In the present...
Consumers are exposed to large amounts of advertising every day. One way to avoid being manipulated is to monitor the sources of persuasive messages. In the present study it was tested whether high exposure to advertising affects the memory and guessing processes underlying source attributions. Participants were exposed to high or low proportions of advertising messages that were intermixed with product statements from a trustworthy source. In a subsequent memory test, participants had to remember the sources of these statements. In Experiments 1 and 2, high advertising exposure led to increased source memory and decreased recognition of the statements in comparison to low advertising exposure. High advertising exposure also induced an increased tendency toward guessing that statements whose sources were not remembered came from advertising. The results of Experiment 3 suggest that the presence of advertising, relative to its absence, leads to a skeptical guessing bias. Being exposed to advertising thus has pronounced effects on the memory and guessing processes underlying source attributions. These changes in source monitoring can be interpreted as coping mechanisms that serve to protect against the persuasive influence of advertising messages.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Advertising; Humans; Mental Recall; Persuasive Communication; Recognition, Psychology
PubMed: 36064819
DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00433-2 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... May 2021The aim of this paper is twofold: to propose that conversation is the distinctive feature of ' communication; and to show that the emergence of modern language is tied...
The aim of this paper is twofold: to propose that conversation is the distinctive feature of ' communication; and to show that the emergence of modern language is tied to the transition from pantomime to verbal and grammatically complex forms of narrative. It is suggested that (animal and human) communication is a form of persuasion and that storytelling was the best tool developed by humans to convince others. In the early stage of communication, archaic hominins used forms of pantomimic storytelling to persuade others. Although pantomime is a powerful tool for persuasive , it is proposed that it is not an effective tool for persuasive : conversation is characterized by a form of reciprocal persuasion among peers; instead, pantomime has a mainly asymmetrical character. The selective pressure towards persuasive reciprocity of the conversational level is the evolutionary reason that allowed the transition from pantomime to grammatically complex codes in , which favoured the evolution of speech. This article is part of the theme issue 'Reconstructing prehistoric languages'.
Topics: Animals; Cultural Evolution; Hominidae; Humans; Language; Persuasive Communication; Speech
PubMed: 33745315
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0196 -
NeuroImage Aug 2020Mass media messaging is central for health communication. The success of these efforts, however, depends on whether health messages resonate with their target audiences....
Mass media messaging is central for health communication. The success of these efforts, however, depends on whether health messages resonate with their target audiences. Here, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to capture brain responses of young adults - an important target group for alcohol prevention - while they viewed real-life video messages of varying perceived message effectiveness about risky alcohol use. We found that strong messages, which were rated to be more effective, prompted enhanced inter-subject correlation (ISC). In further analyses, we linked ISC to subsequent drinking behavior change and used time-resolved EEG-ISC to model functional neuroimaging data (fMRI) of an independent audience. The EEG measure was not only related to sensory-perceptual brain regions, but also to regions previously related to successful messaging, i.e., cortical midline regions and the insula. The findings suggest EEG-ISC as a marker for audience engagement and effectiveness of naturalistic health messages, which could quantify the impact of mass communication within the brains of small target audiences.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Alcohol Drinking; Brain; Electroencephalography; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health Behavior; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Persuasive Communication; Photic Stimulation; Surveys and Questionnaires; Video Recording; Young Adult
PubMed: 31954843
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116527 -
PloS One 2020Although campaigns promoting organ donation have proved their effectiveness, increasing the number of people who explicitly agree to become donors is still difficult....
Although campaigns promoting organ donation have proved their effectiveness, increasing the number of people who explicitly agree to become donors is still difficult. Based on the social marketing notion of persuasive technology, we reasoned that it was timely to focus on the design of this persuasive technology and to analyze its contribution in particularly challenging contexts such as organ donation. More specifically, the originality of the present study lay in the way we linked the field of persuasive technology to the theory of social representations, and combined them with an analysis of the ergonomic aspects of interface layout. This study had two complementary goals. The first was to determine whether the sociocognitive salience of the central elements of social representations (i.e., the most frequent and important themes related to the subject-here, organ donation-for individuals), can be used to achieve persuasive outcomes. The second was to determine whether interface layout, in terms of information location and background characteristics (color and contrast), can strengthen the persuasive impact. University students (N > 200) were exposed to a computer screen displaying a message involving either central or peripheral elements of the social representations of organ donation (status), placed either in the middle or on one side of the screen (location), and shown against either a white or a blue background (background). Eye-tracking data were recorded, in addition to self-reported data. In line with the elaboration likelihood model, results showed that participants who were exposed to central (vs. peripheral) elements of the social representations of organ donation followed the central route in processing information. Moreover, they had stronger attitudes, and more of them stated that they were actual organ donors. Importantly, however, at least for some variables, these status-related effects were not independent of the interface layout. More specifically, the persuasive impact of the central elements was enhanced when the information was displayed in the middle (vs. the side) of the screen and when it was displayed on a white (vs. blue) background. We discuss the theoretical and practical issues raised by these results.
Topics: Adolescent; Female; Humans; Likelihood Functions; Male; Persuasive Communication; Self Report; Social Marketing; Tissue Donors; Tissue and Organ Procurement; Young Adult
PubMed: 33382765
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244538 -
JMIR MHealth and UHealth Feb 2022There is a need to further investigate how persuasive design principles can change rural health professionals' behaviors to look after their own health workforce...
BACKGROUND
There is a need to further investigate how persuasive design principles can change rural health professionals' behaviors to look after their own health workforce capability. Several theories are used when developing apps to persuade people to change behavior, including the Persuasive System Design Model, consisting of primary task, dialogue, system credibility, and social support categories, and Cialdini's principles of persuasion. These have not been analyzed yet in the field of health workforce capability.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to determine the persuasive design techniques used in capability building-related apps and to provide recommendations for designing a health workforce app to increase their persuasiveness.
METHODS
A Python script was used to extract a total of 3060 apps from Google Play. Keywords centered around health workforce capability elements. App inclusion criteria were as follows: been updated since 2019, rated by users on average 4 and above, and more than 100,000 downloads. Next, 2 experts reviewed whether 32 persuasive strategies were used in the selected apps, and these were further analyzed by capability categories: competencies and skills, health and personal qualities, values and attitudes, and work organization.
RESULTS
In all, 53 mobile apps were systematically reviewed to identify the persuasive design techniques. The most common were surface credibility (n=48, 90.6%) and liking (n=48), followed by trustworthiness (n=43, 81.1%), reminders (n=38, 71.7%), and suggestion (n=30, 56.6%). The techniques in the social support domain were the least used across the different apps analyzed for health workforce capability, whereas those in the primary task support domain were used most frequently. The recommendations reflect learnings from our analysis. These findings provided insight into mobile app design principles relevant to apps used in improving health workforce capability.
CONCLUSIONS
Our review showed that there are many persuasive design techniques that can assist in building health workforce capability. Additionally, several apps are available in the market that can assist in improving health workforce capability. There is, however, a specific lack of digital, real-time support to improve health workforce capability. Social support strategies through using social support persuasive design techniques will need to be integrated more prominently into a health workforce capability app. An app to measure and monitor health workforce capability scores can be used in conjunction with direct real-world person and real-time support to discuss and identify solutions to improve health workforce capability for rural and remote health professionals who are at high risk of burnout or leaving the rural health workforce.
Topics: Health Personnel; Humans; Mobile Applications; Persuasive Communication; Social Support; Workforce
PubMed: 35129447
DOI: 10.2196/33413 -
Medical Decision Making : An... Apr 2024Physician treatment preference may influence how risks are communicated in prostate cancer consultations. We identified persuasive language used when describing cancer...
BACKGROUND
Physician treatment preference may influence how risks are communicated in prostate cancer consultations. We identified persuasive language used when describing cancer prognosis, life expectancy, and side effects in relation to a physician's recommendation for aggressive (surgery/radiation) or nonaggressive (active surveillance/watchful waiting) treatment.
METHODS
A qualitative analysis was performed on transcribed treatment consultations of 40 men with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer across 10 multidisciplinary providers. Quotes pertaining to cancer prognosis, life expectancy, and side effects were randomized. Coders predicted physician treatment recommendations from isolated blinded quotes. Testing characteristics of consensus predictions against the physician's treatment recommendation were reported. Coders then identified persuasive strategies favoring aggressive/nonaggressive treatment for each quote. Frequencies of persuasive strategies favoring aggressive/nonaggressive treatment were reported. Logistic regression quantified associations between persuasive strategies and physician treatment recommendations.
RESULTS
A total of 496 quotes about cancer prognosis ( = 127), life expectancy ( = 51), and side effects ( = 318) were identified. The accuracy of predicting treatment recommendation based on individual quotes containing persuasive language ( = 256/496, 52%) was 91%. When favoring aggressive treatment, persuasive language downplayed side effect risks and amplified cancer risk (recurrence, progression, or mortality). Significant predictors ( < 0.05) of aggressive treatment recommendation included favorable side effect interpretation, downplaying side effects, and long time horizon for cancer risk due to longevity. When favoring nonaggressive treatment, persuasive language amplified side effect risks and downplayed cancer risk. Significant predictors of nonaggressive treatment recommendation included unfavorable side effect interpretation, favorable interpretation of cancer risk, and short time horizon for cancer risk due to longevity.
CONCLUSIONS
Physicians use persuasive language favoring their preferred treatment, regardless of whether their recommendation is appropriate.
IMPLICATIONS
Clinicians should quantify risk so patients can judge potential harm without solely relying on persuasive language.
HIGHLIGHTS
Physicians use persuasive language favoring their treatment recommendation when communicating risks of prostate cancer treatment, which may influence a patient's treatment choice.Coders predicted physician treatment recommendations based on isolated, randomized quotes about cancer prognosis, life expectancy, and side effects with 91% accuracy.Qualitative analysis revealed that when favoring nonaggressive treatment, physicians used persuasive language that amplified side effect risks and downplayed cancer risk. When favoring aggressive treatment, physicians did the opposite.Providers should be cognizant of using persuasive strategies and aim to provide quantified assessments of risk that are jointly interpreted with the patient so that patients can make evidence-based conclusions regarding risks without solely relying on persuasive language.
Topics: Humans; Male; Communication; Language; Persuasive Communication; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Prostatic Neoplasms; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 38347686
DOI: 10.1177/0272989X241228612 -
BMJ Global Health Jul 2022Vaccine safety is a primary concern among vaccine-hesitant individuals. We examined how seven persuasive messages with different frames, all focusing on vaccine safety,... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
When do persuasive messages on vaccine safety steer COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and recommendations? Behavioural insights from a randomised controlled experiment in Malaysia.
INTRODUCTION
Vaccine safety is a primary concern among vaccine-hesitant individuals. We examined how seven persuasive messages with different frames, all focusing on vaccine safety, influenced Malaysians to accept the COVID-19 vaccine, and recommend it to individuals with different health and age profiles; that is, healthy adults, the elderly, and people with pre-existing health conditions.
METHODS
A randomised controlled experiment was conducted from 29 April to 7 June 2021, which coincided with the early phases of the national vaccination programme when vaccine uptake data were largely unavailable. 5784 Malaysians were randomly allocated into 14 experimental arms and exposed to one or two messages that promoted COVID-19 vaccination. Interventional messages were applied alone or in combination and compared against a control message. Outcome measures were assessed as intent to both take the vaccine and recommend it to healthy adults, the elderly, and people with pre-existing health conditions, before and after message exposure. Changes in intent were modelled and we estimated the average marginal effects based on changes in the predicted probability of responding with a positive intent for each of the four outcomes.
RESULTS
We found that persuasive communication via several of the experimented messages improved recommendation intentions to people with pre-existing health conditions, with improvements ranging from 4 to 8 percentage points. In contrast, none of the messages neither significantly improved vaccination intentions, nor recommendations to healthy adults and the elderly. Instead, we found evidence suggestive of backfiring among certain outcomes with messages using negative attribute frames, risky choice frames, and priming descriptive norms.
CONCLUSION
Message frames that briefly communicate verbatim facts and stimulate rational thinking regarding vaccine safety may be ineffective at positively influencing vaccine-hesitant individuals. Messages intended to promote recommendations of novel health interventions to people with pre-existing health conditions should incorporate safety dimensions.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT05244356.
Topics: Adult; Aged; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Humans; Malaysia; Persuasive Communication; Viral Vaccines
PubMed: 35906015
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009250