Evidence-Based Public Health Unit, Center for International Health Protection, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Center for International Health Protection, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Front Public Health. 2023 Jan 27;11:1038989. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1038989. eCollection 2023.
Emergency risk communication (ERC) is key to achieving compliance with public health measures during pandemics. Yet, the factors that facilitated ERC during COVID-19 have not been analyzed. We compare ERC in the early stages of the pandemic across four socio-economic settings to identify how risk communication can be improved in public health emergencies (PHE).
To map and assess the content, process, actors, and context of ERC in Germany, Guinea, Nigeria, and Singapore, we performed a qualitative document review, and thematically analyzed semi-structured key informant interviews with 155 stakeholders involved in ERC at national and sub-national levels. We applied Walt and Gilson's health policy triangle as a framework to structure the results.
We identified distinct ERC strategies in each of the four countries. Various actors, including governmental leads, experts, and organizations with close contact to the public, collaborated closely to implement ERC strategies. Early integration of ERC into preparedness and response plans, lessons from previous experiences, existing structures and networks, and clear leadership were identified as crucial for ensuring message clarity, consistency, relevance, and an efficient use of resources. Areas of improvement primarily included two-way communication, community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation. Countries with recurrent experiences of pandemics appeared to be more prepared and equipped to implement ERC strategies.
We found that considerable potential exists for countries to improve communication during public health emergencies, particularly in the areas of bilateral communication and community engagement as well as monitoring and evaluation. Building adaptive structures and maintaining long-term relationships with at-risk communities reportedly facilitated suitable communication. The findings suggest considerable potential and transferable learning opportunities exist between countries in the global north and countries in the global south with experience of managing outbreaks.
在大流行期间，紧急风险沟通（ERC）是实现公众遵守公共卫生措施的关键。然而，尚未分析促进 COVID-19 期间 ERC 的因素。我们比较了四个社会经济背景下大流行早期的 ERC，以确定如何在突发公共卫生事件（PHE）中改进风险沟通。
为了绘制和评估德国、几内亚、尼日利亚和新加坡 ERC 的内容、过程、参与者和背景，我们进行了定性文件审查，并对参与国家和国家以下各级 ERC 的 155 名利益攸关方进行了半结构化关键知情人访谈，并进行了主题分析。我们应用 Walt 和 Gilson 的卫生政策三角作为框架来构建结果。
我们在四个国家中都确定了独特的 ERC 策略。包括政府领导、专家以及与公众密切接触的组织在内的各种参与者密切合作，实施 ERC 策略。将 ERC 早期纳入准备和应对计划、从以往经验中吸取的教训、现有结构和网络以及明确的领导被确定为确保信息清晰、一致、相关和有效利用资源的关键。改进的主要领域包括双向沟通、社区参与以及监测和评估。有复发大流行经验的国家似乎更有准备和能力来实施 ERC 策略。
我们发现，各国在突发公共卫生事件期间改善沟通方面具有相当大的潜力，特别是在双向沟通、社区参与以及监测和评估方面。建立适应性结构并与高风险社区保持长期关系，据报道有助于进行适当的沟通。研究结果表明，在有暴发管理经验的全球北方国家和全球南方国家之间存在相当大的潜力和可转移的学习机会。
