Policy, Practice and Population Health
The mass media has a crucial role in public health due to its comprehensive coverage and with the rising number of people watching television, reading newspapers and magazines and surfing the internet. However, it has been found that there are significant differences between the use of evidence in the media and that which is provided by the medical community. This paper will discuss media stories on health and wellness, the influence of the social policy and media reporting on clinical practice and decision making, and finally, it will provide recommendations and its implication to the target population.
The majority of the information provided in the media does not focus on the policies rather genetic, behavioral, and individual explanations. Besides, the logic of news is giving reports on contemporary events, debates, developments, and conflicts in society. It is more concerned with what affects the public, and if the social institutions have taken the necessary steps to address them (Picard & Yeo, 2011). Furthermore, when feature content is involved rather than news, they shift their focus towards issues of lifestyle, human interest, individual improvement, and other general information.
I believe that media reporting and social policies have a positive impact on clinical practice and healthcare decision making. This is because, media works most towards serving the public interest, and on the other hand, social policies focus on improving the welfare of the population. Therefore, they are likely to provide valuable information which can be incorporated with the evidence-based practice to promote better outcomes of the health issue (Maksimainen & Michaelmas, 2017). Besides, it will give way for making informed decisions in the health facilities.
Some of the things that need to be considered by the media, its provision of quality, truthful and trusted information to minimize issues of confusion that may arise, and possibly fear. On the other hand, social policies need to be improved to ensure that the members of the public live better (Maksimainen & Michaelmas, 2017). This can be done through conduction studies and making necessary changes to promote better health of the target group.
In conclusion, the media serves as a better platform for providing information to the public. Though, the information provided by the media differs from what is offered by the health community in the manner in which it is delivered to the public. However, it plays a crucial role in influencing decision-making and the improvement of clinical practice.
References
Maksimainen, H., & Michaelmas, H. (2017). Improving the Quality of Health Journalism: When Reliability meets Engagement. Reuters Institute Fellowship Paper, 2017-09.
Picard, R. G., & Yeo, M. (2011). Medical and health news and information in the UK media: The current state of knowledge. A report of the Reuters Institute for the study of Journalism.
