Strengthening The Patient Health Dissemination Core Channel Role Through Health Education Prescriptions: Experiences from Hainan Province, China

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine how patients can act as the core channel of health communication for medical institutions, and discuss strategies that can enable medical institutions to enhance their capabilities in health communication. Methods: Through a qualitative research design and a thematic evaluation approach, the study utilized both primary and secondary data to analyze health information dissemination channels between hospitals. The sample comprised doctors and patients in the tertiary hospitals in Hainan Province, who participated in discussions and interviews, in addition to data enhancement through observation. Result: Medical institutions across China attach great importance to health communication and health education through medical prescriptions. In the Hainan Province particularly, patients were trained as health messengers, actively participating in health communication activities. Based on such measures and to meet people’s health communication needs, a star chain health communication model was built to cover the whole Hainan province. Conclusions: Reasonable use of health education prescriptions can help enhance the role of patients as the core channel for health communication in medical institutions. Implications include strengthening the characteristics and patterns of patients disseminating health education prescription information and offer practical and scalable solution for enhancing dissemination of health education prescription information through patient channel.