Communication and the education of health professionals: A disciplinary overview

Communication skills are important elements in the training of every health professional. Yet it has not proved particularly easy for communication to become part of the academic curriculum. This article affirms the relevance of health communication as an academic discipline in its own right. The discipline is defined, then its development is traced over the last two decades, primarily in the United States. The impact of information technology on health communication is also taken into account. The role of the communication scholar is considered, as is the state of the field in the United Kingdom. The article concludes with a call for further research into the nature and extent of health communication teaching in this country.