Evaluates the existing research in health communication and suggests new avenues for research.

Health communication research examines the role of communication in health professional/client relationships and in promoting patient adherence, the flow of information within and between health organizations, the design and effectiveness of health information for various audiences and the planning and evaluation of health care policy. Other important areas treated in this book are cultural and social factors influencing health communication, ethical issues effecting communication, and education in communication within medical schools. Medical students, physicians, policy makers, students and faculty in communications and sociology, as well as social services professionals should find this reference an important tool.