Improving health communication. Supporting the practice of health communication.
BACKGROUND
Health authorities, hospitals, commercial enterprises, and mass media all deliver health and medical communication in different forms. With such a vast amount of biomedical and clinical information available, any action to ensure the spread of clinically relevant news items is welcome.


OBJECTIVE
This paper tries to define a new role for health science librarians in improving medical communication and reporting.


METHODS
Literature relating to the health and medical reporting is analysed to identify major difficulties encountered by health communicators.


RESULTS
There are two areas where health science librarians can develop new roles in health communication: (i) supporting journalists and health communicators in selecting sources and understanding scientific papers, and (ii) directly translating scientific information into news items, supplying a list of products in this direction (i.e. targeted newsletters, media releases, news items). New skills and competencies needed to cope with the new roles are described in detail in a suggested academic curriculum for health communicators.


CONCLUSIONS
A better understanding of the mass media's needs can provide much needed support in the field of health communication.
Miranda
Giovanna F
GF
Research Centre Sanofi Midy, Sanofi-Aventis Spa, Milan, Italy. giovanna.miranda@sanofi-aventis.com
Vercellesi
Luisa
L
Pozzi
Edoardo
E
Bruno
Flavia
F
D003479:Curriculum; D006266:Health Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D007558:Italy; D007993:Libraries, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007998:Library Science / Q000193:education*; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D024382:Professional Role