Communicating in the Health and Social Sciences

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Book Review

Communicating in the Health and Social Sciences

Joy Higgs, Ann Sefton, Annette Street, Lindy McAllister and Iain Hay (eds)

ISBN: 978-0-195516-98-2 2004 xiv + 274 pages Oxford University Press

Michelle Lisa Bellon
Department of Disability Studies, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide SA

Communicating in the Health and Social Sciences is a comprehensive text relevant to today’s health student and professional. This easy-to-use book is full of practical examples and useful strategies from a range of health science professions. Its main aim is to identify clearly the nature and importance of communication in human services when providing health care. In doing so, the authors provide guidelines to improve competence in communication to facilitate effective teamwork, and to meet legal requirements related to documentation, assessments, investigation, management plans and treatment outcomes.

The book is presented in four sections. The first part introduces the broader issues surrounding communication in the health and social sciences. Concepts such as humanity, context, ethics, honesty, professionalism, cultural appropriateness, credibility, self-reflection and evaluation are briefly introduced. This is followed by the theory of the process of communication, with references to popular texts such as DeVito (2001), Adler and Rodman (2003) and Burnard (1997).

Part two focuses on communication skills in academic and fieldwork settings. Techniques such as academic writing for university assignments, theses and journal articles are explored, in addition to specialist communications in reports and referrals, case conferences, and in the community. It was refreshing to see a chapter on how to write funding submissions, including a real example of a successful community health funding proposal. The fact that only four references are included in this chapter indicates that the area has not previously received the attention it needs. This chapter is one example of the practical strategies outlined, and is much appreciated by colleagues in my department.

The third section includes chapters on presentation styles, skills and strategies. The essentials of designing effective posters, and Powerpoint and conference presentations are addressed, including detailed tips for layout, fonts and attractive colour combinations. Even experienced professionals would benefit from reviewing this section, and I was impressed by the thoroughness and detail.

Part four presents information on interpersonal skills in such areas as leading groups and meetings, providing feedback, and communicating clinical reasoning. These final chapters are written with sensitivity and with a strong client-centered focus. The authors are careful to acknowledge a range of important cultural and disability issues.

This well-written and clearly presented resource immediately presents itself as ideal reading for the first year Health Sciences student. The language is clear, entertaining and holds the reader’s interest. However, it also contains information relevant for the postgraduate and human service professional. There are a number of books with advice for research students, but this text extends much further than most. A broad audience of professions would find it useful, including medicine, dentistry, nursing, allied health, psychology, social work, disability studies, welfare, health education and public health.

A primary strength of this book is its Australian context. The contributing authors represent five prominent Australian universities from areas including health sciences, public health, community health and nursing. One notable benefit of this Australian publication is that the legislation and acts referred to are relevant and up to date.

Another distinct strength is the inclusion of further reading at the end of each chapter. These lists include recent websites (accessed in 2004) which provide interactive and useful links. An example is the inclusion of websites for the Harvard, APA and Vancouver reference systems: essential additions to this reader’s internet ‘favourites’ list for quick reference checks.

What makes this book so user-friendly is that it is well-structured and attractively laid out. There are clear headings breaking the material into short, manageable sections for the busy reader. The authors have included visually distinct panels in the text which highlight ‘handy hints’ (key points and tips), as well as a number of case studies. Further use of specific case studies would have added depth. However the authors fill each page with practical examples and strategies. Each chapter is relevant to today’s student, with a strong focus on professional development and good practice.

Communicating in the Health and Social Sciences is recommended reading for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. However, there are also many useful chapters for the skilled professional seeking to update their writing, presentation and interpersonal skills.

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