Our Mission

To create an International Research Centre for Communication in Healthcare where internationally recognised and multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and communication experts can work together, translating research to education and practice and improving patient safety and the quality of healthcare practices around the world.

About Us

The International Research Centre for Communication in Healthcare (IRCCH) was established to address increasing awareness of the adverse consequences of ineffective communication in healthcare settings domestically and globally, and in response to the increasing realisation of the central role of communication and relationships in compassionate, safe and effective healthcare delivery. A key commitment of the Centre was to develop an International Charter for Human Values in Healthcare, the aim of which is to restore core values in healthcare and to place these values at the center, as the foundation of care. The values of the Charter inform the Centre’s research, education and practice initiatives.

IRCCH was formally launched at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University of Technology Sydney, Australia in June 2013. In July 2013, the Centre welcomed Curtin University, Western Australia, as a strategic partner.  IRCCH (formerly known as the International Collaborative for Communication in Healthcare) brings together internationally renowned scholars, researchers, physicians, healthcare professionals, educators and linguists, and has over 50 members from more than 11 countries.

IRCCH provides a dynamic setting for members to share and collaborate on existing and future health communication research, international and local health policy and health education curricula development. The Centre’s strategic research agenda for communication in healthcare aims to improve the quality and safety of patient care, and to mobilize knowledge and expertise gained from research to guide the teaching and implementation of communication skills and relational competency in healthcare education and practice.

The 13th International Conference on Communication in Healthcare took place at the Crowne Plaza  in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 25-28, 2015. This poster (PDF) was presented on October 26. 

Location

Kowloon, Hong Kong