Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, 413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Department of Development and Research, Armed Forces Center for Defense Medicine, Gothenburg, 426 76 Västra Frölunda, Sweden.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 May 30;18(11):5888. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18115888.
In the absence of a specific treatment or vaccines, public health strategies are the main measures to use in the initial stages of a pandemic to allow surveillance of infectious diseases. During the ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), several countries initiated various public health strategies, such as contact tracing and quarantine. The present study aims to conduct a systematic literature review to identify the presence of educational initiatives that promote the implementation of public health strategies before public health emergencies, with a special focus on contact tracing applications. Using Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, and Gothenburg University search engines, all published scientific articles were included, while conference, reports, and non-scientific papers were excluded. The outcomes of the reviewed studies indicate that the effective implementation of public health strategies depends on the peoples' willingness to participate and collaborate with local authorities. Several factors may influence such willingness, of which ethical, psychological, and practical factors seem to be the most important and frequently discussed. Moreover, individual willingness and readiness of a community may also vary based on the acquired level of knowledge about the incident and its cause and available management options. Educational initiatives, proper communication, and timely information at the community level were found to be the necessary steps to counteract misinformation and to promote a successful implementation of public health strategies and attenuate the effects of a pandemic. The systematic review conducted as a part of this study would benefit the relevant stakeholders and policy makers and assist with effective designing and implementation.
在缺乏特效治疗方法和疫苗的情况下，公共卫生策略是大流行初期用于传染病监测的主要措施。在目前正在发生的 2019 冠状病毒病（COVID-19）全球大流行期间，一些国家采取了各种公共卫生策略，如接触者追踪和隔离。本研究旨在进行系统文献综述，以确定在公共卫生紧急情况之前促进实施公共卫生策略的教育举措的存在情况，特别关注接触者追踪应用。使用 Science Direct、PubMed、Scopus 和哥德堡大学搜索引擎，纳入所有已发表的科学文章，同时排除会议、报告和非科学论文。综述研究的结果表明，公共卫生策略的有效实施取决于民众与地方当局合作和参与的意愿。一些因素可能会影响这种意愿，其中伦理、心理和实际因素似乎是最重要和经常讨论的因素。此外，社区的个人意愿和准备程度也可能因对事件及其原因和可用管理选项的了解程度而有所不同。研究发现，教育举措、适当的沟通以及在社区层面及时提供信息是对抗错误信息、促进公共卫生策略的成功实施和减轻大流行影响的必要步骤。本研究作为系统综述的一部分，将使相关利益相关者和政策制定者受益，并有助于进行有效的设计和实施。
