MAVIT5100 Health Communication Course description

Language of instruction: English (Norwegian if no English-speaking students have registered for the course)

Health communication comprises all communication on and related to health. Health related problems occur, are experienced and appear through communication. Communication competence is crucial in all types of interpersonal relationships. The students will learn to apply theories and tools to develop health communication competence, that is the competence to reflect on, observe and communicate about communication, while also understanding communication as a skill.

The students will learn to apply quality criteria to different situations varying regarding function, purpose and target group of the communication. Examples of such situations are diagnostic investigation, announcement of diagnosis, motivation, treatment, decision making, information and relationship building. These tasks require performance of and participation in communication in a professional manner. The course is appropriate for everyone who works with people.

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Degree Programme in Health Sciences.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence: 

Knowledge 

The student 

• can describe the term health in the light of a communication theoretic perspective
• can describe theories and factors that form the basis of health communication
• can explain how health competence, and socioeconomic, psychological and biological factors affect individuals’ communication 
• can describe how communication can affect the body, life experience, embodiment, and coping 
• can describe effective health communication with selected target groups
• has thorough knowledge about risk communication and shared decision making
• can describe how communication processes can be evaluated

​Skills 

The student

• can appraise and apply relevant health communication theories at the individual, group and societal level
• can apply relevant knowledge about the relationship between psyche and soma in order to promote appropriate behaviour
• can reflect on and critically analyse one’s own role and responsibility regarding interaction with the user/patient and family  
• can reflect on ethical challenges that can arise in communication with the recipient/user
• can apply technical use of communication at the individual, group and societal level
• can apply and adapt methods of evaluation of communication

General competence

The student

• can use communication as central tool of a health care provider
• can practice adapted health communication
• can contribute with innovation to knowledge on communication and working with relations
• can use appropriate digital communication 

The course will use varied, student-active work methods and consists of several e-learning modules, which include videos, lectures and knowledge tests based on the written syllabus. There will also be two compulsory two-day sessions where the subject matter will be presented in plenary lectures with subsequent discussions. The students will solve different assignments using various submission formats (video, academic text) and peer assessment.

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take the examination:

• A peer assessment in groups of up to four students, subject to given criteria

Individual home examination in the form of a written report. Scope: 1,200 words (+/- 10%).

If the course is taught in English, students can also choose to write/conduct the examination in a Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Swedish or Danish).

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grade scale A-F.

All examination papers are assessed by two internal examiners.