10/10/10 Reflection

Last week's readings were interesting and they made me evaluate how information is shared with patients and among patients in the clinic where I work. Last year in 662 I learned about SMOG and how the average adult reading level is around the 6th grade. But I've never actually reviewed the brochures and print materials at my work to analyze the reading level. Now, I'm interested in scoring some of the materials against the SMOG guidelines to find out if the information is appropriate for average reading level or too high. From my experience in the clinic, I have also learned how important word-of-mouth communication can be when assisting patients one-on-one and between patients-to-patients. Sometimes when assisting patients one-on-one, I notice that patients will opt out of taking print materials during their visit (maybe for some of the reasons Manpreet highlighted). Therefore, verbal communication becomes extremely important. Also, many patients that I've met have said that they were referred to the clinic via word-of-mouth from their friends or family who had a positive experience. While on the other hand, if a patient has a negative experience at the clinic their word-of-mouth feedback can influence the potential outcome that another person does not visit the clinic.

Nowadays, word-of-mouth communication can also be shared via technology (email, cell phone, and internet). Among our target population of on-campus undergrad students, we've learned that internet usage (i.e. Facebook) is the most popular form of media. Considering the antecedents and consequences for this type of word-of-mouth approach will be important for our group project.