Blanchard Janice C, Haywood Yolanda, Stein Bradley D, Tanielian Terri L, Stoto Michael, Lurie Nicole
George Washington University Department of Emergency Medicine, 2150 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC, 20037, USA.
Am J Public Health. 2005 Mar;95(3):489-95. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.038349.
We evaluated perceptions of workers at the US Postal Service Brentwood Processing and Distribution Center and US Senate employees regarding public health responses to the anthrax mailings of October 2001. We generated recommendations for improving responses to bioterrorism on the basis of the perceptions we recorded.
Transcripts from focus groups conducted with Brentwood and US Senate employees were examined, and qualitative analysis identified common domains.
Brentwood focus groups consisted of 36 participants (97% African American and 19% hearing impaired). US Senate focus groups consisted of 7 participants (71% White and 0% hearing impaired). The focus groups revealed that participants' trust in public health agencies had eroded and that this erosion could threaten the effectiveness of communication during future public health emergencies. Among Brentwood participants, lack of trust involved the perception that unfair treatment on the basis of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status had occurred; among US Senate participants, it derived from perceptions of inconsistent and disorganized messages.
Effective communication during a public health emergency depends on the provision of clear messages and close involvement of the affected community. Diverse populations may require individualized approaches to ensure that messages are delivered appropriately. Special attention should be given to those who face barriers to traditional modes of communication.
我们评估了美国邮政服务布伦特伍德处理与配送中心的工作人员以及美国参议院工作人员对2001年10月炭疽邮件事件公共卫生应对措施的看法。我们根据记录的看法提出了改进生物恐怖主义应对措施的建议。
对与布伦特伍德和美国参议院工作人员进行的焦点小组访谈记录进行了审查，定性分析确定了共同领域。
布伦特伍德焦点小组由36名参与者组成（97%为非裔美国人，19%有听力障碍）。美国参议院焦点小组由7名参与者组成（71%为白人，0%有听力障碍）。焦点小组显示，参与者对公共卫生机构的信任已经受到侵蚀，这种侵蚀可能会威胁到未来公共卫生紧急事件期间沟通的有效性。在布伦特伍德的参与者中，缺乏信任涉及到基于种族/族裔和社会经济地位存在不公平待遇的看法；在美国参议院的参与者中，缺乏信任源于对信息不一致和杂乱无章的看法。
公共卫生紧急事件期间的有效沟通取决于提供清晰的信息以及受影响社区的密切参与。不同人群可能需要个性化的方法来确保信息得到恰当传递。应特别关注那些在传统沟通方式上存在障碍的人群。
