Elazığ province with examples of public and private hospitals public relations practices in health institutions

Understanding and management of hospitals, which have a complex structure on the target audience, determining the target audience and on creating a good management policy are required to demonstrate a positive attitude in sensitivity. It is important to examine the role of Public Relations in determining a good management policy and establishing a positive attitude by providing the support of the target audience. In this study, it is aimed to determine the effects of Public Relations activities carried out in hospitals on patient and relatives ' preferences and the differences between public and private hospitals. The sample consisted of 400 patients selected from Fırat University Hospital and Elazığ private Medicalpark hospital with occupational professionals and random (chance-kura) method. A semi-structured interview form consisting of 14 questions and a questionnaire consisting of 47 questions was used to gather data. SPSS analysis program was used in data analysis. According to the results obtained from the study, Public Relations activities conducted in the hospital had a high rate of influence on the preference of patients. The results of this study showed that radio, television, billboard, social media and internet from the audio-visual information sources in the hospital preferred significantly differed from gender variables, and that age, education status, and hospital attendance differed slightly, and that monthly income and social security did not differ significantly. As a result of semi-structured interviews with professional professionals, it was observed that the private hospital conducts Public Relations activities professionally while the University Hospital does not conduct Public Relations activities professionally.