Mapping Stakeholders and Their Networks for Strategic Communication in the Romanian Health Sector – A Public Relations Approach

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Communication has a significant role in achieving objectives in the medical sector. It involves information, collaboration, partnership and starts from understanding the profile, needs and interests of main stakeholders and their relationship networks. Healthcare public relations (HPR) provides a useful framework for strategic communication, by identifying stakeholders and their potential connections, designing, and implementing interactions that lead to positive results for all those involved and for supporting health in general. The current study proposes a mapping of stakeholders and networks in the healthcare system in Romania, as premises for efficient HPR. Public relations and stakeholder approach: Professional public relations (PR) is based on two-way communication, implying partnership and collaboration. Stakeholder theory, as approached within PR framework, is appropriate for present realities, considering the network society and the interdependency between actors. Methodology: This is an exploratory study using in-depth documentation and analysis of public data (statistics, reports, legislation), accessible online. Results: The author provides a graphic and verbal map of stakeholders in the Romanian health sector (patients, medical body, pharmacists, health facilities, academia, healthcare producers and suppliers, authorities and international bodies, professional representatives, NGOs, and mass media), and their networks. Five types of linkages are highlighted, by considering the criteria of the impact the connection has on healthcare (direct and indirect) and the connection grounds (functional, support), and including mixed interactions. Discussion: Results and implications of the analysis are discussed in relation to previous scholarship. The HPR approach is emphasized as an advantageous framework for strategic communication in the healthcare sector. Conclusions: Healthcare communication implies a complex process of documentation, planning, strategy, and implementation. Its outcomes are translated into more than plain public information or promotion of specific products and services in this area. By focusing on interconnectivity, and mutual understanding, HPR fosters common engagement and collaboration between stakeholders, within their natural networks, and offers valuable strategic communication coordinates for the medical sector and its challenges.