A Pragmatic Agenda for Healthcare: Fostering inclusion and active participation through shared understanding

This volume combines diverse and complementary approaches to pragmatics in health communication, highlighting the importance of shared understanding for accessible, inclusive, and sustainable healthcare systems. It explores analytical, intercultural, negotiation, expertise, uncertainty, and evasive answers at the micro- and macro-levels, bringing together top scholars to set pragmatics at the core of healthcare communication research and practice.

Format: Hardback
Length: 397 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2023
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Co

This comprehensive volume delves into the intricate realm of pragmatic meaning and interpretation in communication contexts, particularly in the realm of health. By employing a diverse range of complementary approaches, the book underscores the pivotal role of successful shared understanding in achieving more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable healthcare systems. The volume is structured into five thematic sections, each offering a unique perspective on the topic.

The first section, titled "Analytical Approaches to Health Communication," explores the analytical frameworks and methods employed to understand health communication. It examines the role of language, discourse, and context in shaping communication, as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by different communication channels. The section also highlights the significance of critical discourse analysis in analyzing power dynamics, ideologies, and social inequalities in health communication.

The second section, titled "Intercultural and Mediated Communication," examines the complexities of cross-cultural communication in healthcare settings. It explores the role of cultural differences, language barriers, and media in shaping communication, as well as the strategies and techniques employed to overcome these challenges. The section also discusses the importance of mediated communication, such as telemedicine and patient education materials, in improving access to healthcare and promoting patient-centered care.

The third section, titled "Negotiation and Meaning Construction," explores the dynamics of negotiation and meaning construction in healthcare communication. It examines the role of power, authority, and expertise in shaping communication, as well as the strategies and techniques employed by healthcare professionals and patients to navigate complex decision-making processes. The section also highlights the importance of shared understanding in negotiation, particularly in resolving conflicts and promoting patient-centered care.

The fourth section, titled "Expertise and Common Ground," explores the role of expertise and common ground in healthcare communication. It examines the ways in which healthcare professionals and patients exchange knowledge and expertise, as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by different types of expertise. The section also highlights the importance of building common ground between healthcare professionals and patients to promote shared decision-making and improve patient outcomes.

The fifth section, titled "Uncertainty and Evasive Answers," examines the challenges of dealing with uncertainty and evasive answers in healthcare communication. It explores the strategies and techniques employed by healthcare professionals to address ambiguous situations, as well as the ethical and legal considerations involved in providing accurate and transparent information to patients. The section also discusses the importance of empathy and active listening in healthcare communication to promote patient-centered care and build trust.

In conclusion, this volume represents an ambitious attempt to establish pragmatics as the central focus of healthcare communication research and practice. By combining conceptual reflections on core topics in pragmatics with discourse and linguistic analysis of real-world examples, the book offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the complexities of healthcare communication. The contributions of the book will be valuable to scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of health communication, linguistics, and healthcare, as well as anyone interested in understanding the role of communication in shaping healthcare systems and promoting patient-centered care.

Weight: 856g
Dimension: 168 x 250 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789027214270