Healthcare Policy and Delivery Systems D2
Instructions
1. Describe how Using the Power of Media to Influence Health Policy and Politics
Number of replies: 4
In today’s digital age, media has become crucial in forming public opinion and influencing health policies and politics. As an information channel and a vehicle for persuading the public, it significantly spreads health-related information and encourages policy and practice changes. Stakeholders may employ a strategic combination of various media channels to impact health outcomes at the community and national levels substantially.
First, the media is a watchdog, ensuring policymakers and health organizations do their jobs. Investigative journalism can bring out the problems in health services, prioritizing the urgent need for reform in areas such as mental health care or prescription pricing. This not only gives the public information but also calls for government officials to move fast in initiating or expediting policy changes to solve the problem(Bou-Karroum et al., 2017). The opioid crisis in the United States serves exactly as an illustration, wherein the media played a very vital role in arousing governmental action against pharmaceutical companies as well as adjustments were made in prescription practices.
Media can even spread public health messages, significantly increasing their impact and efficiency. By appropriately combining the use of television, radio, and online platforms to convey messages about vaccination, smoking cessation, or pandemic protocols, public health campaigns become accessible to a wide range of people(Charalambous, 2019). Thus, the media’s involvement in the immediate distribution of COVID-19 safety regulations became proof of its ability to back public health actions on a global scope.
Above all else, social media gives a forum where policies surrounding health can be argued and debated, involving passive recipients and active contributors. Forums like Twitter and Facebook create an environment where health advocates and the population at large can share experiences, distribute peer-reviewed information, and drum up support for health-related issues(Bou-Karroum et al., 2017). This decentralization of the information has empowered citizens so that their voices have been heard, and nations have responded with such issues as the need for better mental health services or the right to affordable healthcare.
Finally, the media also helps connect people with complex health policies by sharing real stories that reflect the influence of these policies on individuals’ lives. These stories not only help to close the gap between abstract policy decisions and tangible people’s problems, but they also intensify the public’s feeling of inclusiveness and empathy, which in turn promotes political will(Kanchan & Gaidhane, 2023).
In conclusion, the media is influential in health policymaking and politics. Holding authorities accountable, disseminating life-saving health information, democratizing public discourse, and personalizing policy effects are critical components of the creation of healthier societies. A democratic media will continue to develop, and its power to drive health policy change will become more effective than ever.
References
Bou-Karroum, L., El-Jardali, F., Hemadi, N., Faraj, Y., Ojha, U., Shahrour, M., Darzi, A., Ali, M., Doumit, C., Langlois, E. V., Melki, J., AbouHaidar, G. H., & Akl, E. A. (2017). Using media to impact health policy-making: An integrative systematic review. Implementation Science, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-017-0581-0
Charalambous, A. (2019). Social Media and Health Policy. Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing, 6(1), 24–27. https://doi.org/10.4103/apjon.apjon_60_18
Kanchan, S., & Gaidhane, A. (2023). Social Media Role and Its Impact on Public Health: a Narrative Review. Cureus, 15(1),
e33737. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.33737
by Veronica Valdes Rodriguez – Friday, May 10, 2024, 2:05 PM
Number of replies: 3
Media can influence public decision-makers on health services access. It can raise awareness of health needs and advocate for effective measures. Media has the power to push health issues onto the public agenda.
Much of public health discourse is influenced by media, which can alert the public to dangers and motivate positive behaviors. Media stories have increased public concern about health hazards, but interest decreases when resolutions are made. Media serves as a health promoter, defender, and gatekeeper for health services, but its role in policy enforcement is questionable.
The two-fold paradigm categorizes media impact as either direct persuasion or information-filtering. Lamarre found that media’s selective view of social problems and use of specific symbols and language can influence public policy. This framing creates an agenda-setting phenomenon. (Ha et al.2022)
The media empowers citizens and influences policymakers, advancing public health goals. It provides a platform for policymakers to share constituents’ stories, ideas, and concerns, and shapes policy issues to gain public and policymaker support. The media plays a role in the policymaking process.
The media affects public and policymaker perceptions of health policy and politics. To safeguard the interests of their constituents, public health professionals must understand how the media works and how to speak to the media. What is news? News is information in any form that tells us something we did not know.
Empirical evidence and literature reviews show media’s impact on public understanding of health. Consider issues of public communication on health topics. Aim for public understanding and ability to evaluate public figures and candidates. Power struggles within media as interest groups frame policy options. Diversity of policy frames is crucial. Promote alternative policy frames in media and teach these methods in policy schools. (Khan et al., 2021)
Future research should better examine the causal links between the flow of health-related information from news media and think tanks, public attentiveness to it, and then formation of society and individual attitudes toward health politics.
References:
Ha, L., Ray, R., Chen, P., & Guo, K. (2022). US public opinion on China and the United States during the US–China trade dispute: The role of audience framing and partisan media use. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 99(4), 930-954. [HTML]
Khan, S., Umer, R., Umer, S., & Naqvi, S. (2021). Antecedents of trust in using social media for E-government services: An empirical study in Pakistan. Technology in Society. [HTML]
PermalinkReply
Collepals.com Plagiarism Free Papers
Are you looking for custom essay writing service or even dissertation writing services? Just request for our write my paper service, and we'll match you with the best essay writer in your subject! With an exceptional team of professional academic experts in a wide range of subjects, we can guarantee you an unrivaled quality of custom-written papers.
Get ZERO PLAGIARISM, HUMAN WRITTEN ESSAYS
Why Hire Collepals.com writers to do your paper?
Quality- We are experienced and have access to ample research materials.
We write plagiarism Free Content
Confidential- We never share or sell your personal information to third parties.
Support-Chat with us today! We are always waiting to answer all your questions.
