Question 2: A critical evaluation of information available for people  living with a chronic condition 

Data 

Choose one of the major chronic conditions that affect the lives of Australians, such  as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, Parkinson’s, chronic kidney failure,  macular degeneration or another chronic condition. A chronic condition is one that  lasts more than six months and has long-term impacts on a person’s health and  lifestyle. You should check with the course convenor that your choice of chronic  condition is appropriate before you start collecting data. 

Compile a small corpus of public health communication material about the  condition, making sure that your corpus includes at least three different texts from at  least three of the following categories: 

• print/hard-copy public health brochures or pamphlets, e.g. available at  healthcare clinics, GP surgeries, public libraries.  

• several of the pages from an ‘official’ website about the condition, i.e. the  website of a national support organisation with recognised status in the field  (e.g. https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au) or an international medical  authority (e.g. https://www.mayoclinic.org)  

• media articles about research and treatments for the condition • interactions from an online forum/support group of people living with the  condition 

• other public health information resources (e.g. illustrated posters, transcripts  of radio broadcasts …) 

• a short, recorded interview with a clinician (GP, nurse, medical specialist)  about the advice they would give someone living with the chronic condition  (5 to 10 minutes, you must get your interviewee to sign a consent form).  Transcribe at least key quotations from the interview. 

You can include more than three texts, especially if some are very short. Don’t make  your corpus too small or you will struggle to find enough to analyse and write  about. 

Task 

Your task is to write a critical evaluation comparing and contrasting the quality of  public health communication material available for Australians living with the target  chronic condition. 

Analytical process 

To do this, first analyse the material in your corpus by exploring how each of your  texts communicates the key dimensions covered in lectures about written material,  health promotion and education and health literacy, i.e.: 

• quality and range of information (How much information is provided? Across what range of topics?) 

• comprehensiveness (Are any topics likely to be useful/relevant not covered?)

• evidence-base of the information (How credible does the information seem to  be? How do you know?) 

• clarity (Is any of the information ambiguous or confusing?) 

• accessibility (What makes the text reader-friendly or not?) 

• assumed knowledge and communication skills (What level of health literacy  does the text demand?) 

• relevance (How practical/useful does the information seem to be for its target  readers?) 

• style of presentation (How does the texts use of writing, illustrations, graphs,  photos or multimedia content contribute to or detract from its effectiveness?)

• pragmatic goals of the text (Does the text simply inform readers? Or does it  give advice or encourage behaviour change?) 

• likely motivational impact of the material (In what ways might the material  motivate readers to follow its advice?) 

• cultural appropriateness (In what ways does the material recognise or not the  cultural diversity of readers?) 

Critical synthesis 

Once you have analysed the different dimensions of interest in your texts, synthesise  your findings by writing a critical discussion of comparing and contrasting the quality of the public  health communication material in your corpus. You should avoid simply listing, describing or enumerating your findings. You must instead incorporate your  findings within an argument. To arrive at your argument, ask yourself:  

To what extent, and in what ways, do public health materials support people  living with the chronic condition to effectively manage their condition and its  impact on their lives?

Communication in Health Care

week 4 handout