Interpersonal communication in healthcare.

Taking into account that the medical practice and health systems have evolved considerably nowadays, medical establishments require the implementation of marketing guidelines to help maximize performance, with beneficial effects from the social, economic, and medical point of view, to differentiate from competitors. Communication is a fundamental clinical skill that, if performed competently and efficiently, facilitates the establishment of a relationship of trust between the medical staff and the patient-customer, a truly therapeutic alliance. In addition to the medical personnel's competence and the facilities at the doctor's disposal, the willingness manifested during consultation, kindness, openness and attention are offered to patients-customers. The way medical personnel responds to their needs and requests is an element that boosts performance, contributing to an increase in the prestige of the medical unit and the growing interest of patients-customers in it.

Removing the barriers in health care services: the importance of emotional satisfaction.

The competitive environment forces health care organizations to measure the quality and satisfaction as perceived by their health care consumers in order to determine both their financial and non-financial performance. The aim of this study was to examine the role of the consumers' emotional satisfaction in health care services. More exactly, the study investigated the role of emotional satisfaction in two directions: as a consequence of perceived functional quality and as a precursor of the consumers' behavioral intentions, such as loyalty and WOM, integrated into a conceptual model. The sample size was of 100 respondents, health care consumers of a private medical organization. The sampling method consisted of quota sampling, suggesting that each fifth individual received a questionnaire. The demographic profile of the health care consumers was determined in SPSS version 21 and the model was validated in SmartPls version 3, using the Structural Equation Modeling. Most of the respondents (51%) were male, from urban residential area (56%) and were aged between 28 and 37 years (40%). In terms of education, the vast majority had university degrees (47%), with their revenue between 2600-3000 RON (27%), married (51%) and who visited the doctor because of routine check-ups (47%). Moreover, the empirical model revealed that there are positive relationships between relationship quality and perceived quality, relationship quality and emotional satisfaction, perceived quality and loyalty, emotional satisfaction and loyalty as well as emotional quality and WOM.

Price and distribution policies in healthcare marketing in Romania.

There is a principle similar to the theory of exchange in the marketing of health services, meaning that what is delivered to the target market (i.e. the beneficiaries) must be equal to or greater than what is to be received (i.e. the price). The price level in the marketing mix is influenced by how the consumer perceives the respective medical service and is quantified in the profit and the turnover of the organization respectively. The cost of the medical act as a whole is the value of all the tangible and intangible variables associated with it, and the planning, distribution and promotion of the product must be taken into account in the price setting.

The adaptation of health care marketing to the digital era.

The purpose of health care marketing is to learn and understand the needs and desires of prospective patients in order to be able to meet those necessities at the highest standards. A big advantage is the targeting capability of the electronic media that has led to its being used by managers of marketing in medical institutions as means of advertisement when they develop the marketing strategies. Regarding social media, it is safe to say that there are communication platforms that can promote certain behaviours thus influencing decision-making. Through social media, people stay in touch with other people and they can provide a mean for medical institutions to permanently communicate with the existing patients or with the potential ones. In addition, social media can be used in advertising and promoting strategies, by posting information about discounts, offers and advantages of accessing the products provided by a certain institution. A study was conducted on 126 patients of a dental clinic in Bucharest. 126 new patients were selected on a period of 22 months from January 2015 until October 2016. The patients never had any treatment in this clinic and were influenced by the Internet to seek for dental care services. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the digital methods of promoting medical services, bringing new patients to a clinic. The results of the study demonstrated the need for digital methods of promoting medical care services in order to expand a business. A strategic way of thinking in this case implied attracting new patients and offering them quality health care services, which ensured their satisfaction and the probability of their recommending the health facility further. This study revealed an important role of social networking sites in promoting. This high response was probably responsible due to targeted promoting services. Almost all the new patients who completed the form will remain patients of this clinic in future.

Pathophysiological changes of inflammatory syndrome in multiple sclerosis after instituting therapeutic plasmapheresis.

In autoimmune conditions affecting the central and peripheral CNS as well as in multiple sclerosis (MS), the inflammatory syndrome is present with the onset of this disease. The present paper aimed to highlight the inflammatory syndrome based on the leukergia test, the total blood viscosity test, blood filterability test as well as on other tests. The early instituting of the therapeutic plasmapheresis beneficially modified the clinical status, the biological and pathophysiological behavior of the patient's illness. Objective of the paper: The aim was to highlight the importance, advantages, and pathophysiological changes after therapeutic plasmapheresis in five cases, in patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Material and method: In order to emphasize the inflammatory syndrome, the determination of leukergia assay, the total blood viscosity test and the blood filterability test were added to regular examinations, conducted on the batch of patients included in the study. Results and discussions: As a result of using therapeutic plasmapheresis, the inflammatory parameters in patients with multiple sclerosis improved beneficially as it was proven by the values of inflammatory tests before and after plasmapheresis. Conclusions: In the treatment of multiple sclerosis, plasmapheresis proved to be a medical method that significantly reduced autoimmune inflammatory "installed" syndrome.

Product policy - the main component of the marketing mix in the Romanian health services.

The objectives of the reforms in the EU healthcare systems are based on the implementation of the marketing concept in the health systems, which are, among other things: • efficient management of the financial resources and control costs of the rendered health services; • increased satisfaction of the clients of health care services; • broad accessibility to health services; • effective implementation of modern technologies; • rational stimulation of medical services consumption; • achievement of a fair and neutral competition between the public/ private providers and health insurance companies; • introduction of performance criteria in order to increase the incomes of the medical staff and hierarchy in hospitals; • implementation of modern management methods in health services management; • decentralization of the public healthcare system. Product policy in the medical system of healthcare - the most important component of the marketing mix - is the attitude that addresses a medical organization to the volume, structure, and diversity of services subject to their own activities in relation to the requirements of the services market and the competitive actions of other medical institutions.

Orientation to the patient as a marketing strategy in the Romanian healthcare system.

In the context of the European political and socio-economic changes of the early 90s, health care reform in Romania has become inevitable, both for patients and for health professionals in the system. The first stage of the health care reform in Romania is focused on decentralization and improving primary health care. The Romanian medical system is currently in the process of changing the mentality, which requires time, patience, and perseverance, despite the unforeseeable or resistance inevitably faced. It is a commonly known and recognized fact that in this painful period of transition, Romanian medicine, like other fields too, has traveled a winding road, with obstacles (medical malpractices, scandals in the press related to the misappropriation of funds or underfunding of the public health system, etc.) often hard to overcome.

The management of health care service quality. A physician perspective.

Applying marketing in health care services is presently an essential element for every manager or policy maker. In order to be successful, a health care organization has to identify an accurate measurement scale for defining service quality due to competitive pressure and cost values. The most widely employed scale in the services sector is SERVQUAL scale. In spite of being successfully adopted in fields such as brokerage and banking, experts concluded that the SERVQUAL scale should be modified depending on the specific context. Moreover, the SERVQUAL scale focused on the consumer's perspective regarding service quality. While service quality was measured with the help of SERVQUAL scale, other experts identified a structure-process-outcome design, which, they thought, would be more suitable for health care services. This approach highlights a different perspective on investigating the service quality, namely, the physician's perspective. Further, we believe that the Seven Prong Model for Improving Service Quality has been adopted in order to effectively measure the health care service in a Romanian context from a physician's perspective.

The management of external marketing communication instruments in health care services.

In order to become known and attract consumers, a health care organization has to develop suitable external communication campaigns. Consequently, management instruments are employed to effectively evaluate the success of a campaign. The BCG Matrix, SWOT analysis and the Gantt Diagram were used in this paper to ensure the consistency and accuracy of the external communication process at an empirical level.

Market policy as an innovative element of marketing in the Romanian healthcare services - an approach focused on the patient.

The orientation towards one of the marketing policies with a major impact in organizations providing healthcare services, requires a careful analysis of the needs and aspirations of customers, targeting those patients whose needs the service organization can achieve through the existing resources at the respective health facility, finding the most effective way of achieving benefits associated with reduced costs to maximizing profits, placing the offers for medical services required by the patients on the market, as well as promptly reacting and acting to the changes of health services market which is constantly evolving through a flexible organizing and functioning structure, connected to the financial needs of the patients.

Burning mouth syndrome: controversial place as a symptom of Oro-dental pathology.

As defined by WHO experts, disease involves a change of the physical, mental and social welfare, generating chronic stress condition if unresolved. One of the symptoms almost constantly found in any condition is pain. This feeling manifests differently depending on the subjective perception. The burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is included in such a framework. The BMS is considered as one of the characteristic states of chronic stress syndromes associated with nonspecific clinical manifestations and requires special medical attention in terms of assessing and treating the condition. However, the insufficient knowledge of its etiopathogenic mechanisms requires comprehensive research undertaken on such a subject.

Solutions for reducing lawsuits in orthopedic surgery by using psychology and IT technology.

Orthopedic surgery is among the top 5 medical specialties with an increased risk of facing a lawsuit. A large part of medical malpractice claims are due to poor communication between physician and patient; therefore, by addressing this issue and implementing psychological methods as well as IT solutions, a reduction in the incidence of medical lawsuits can be achieved. Some of these solutions include implementing and applying psychometric tools such as the SF-36 and SCL-90R tests, creating virtual information hubs for the patient, and establishing efficient communication methods by using IT technology between physician and patient.