WHO Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
WHO Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Front Public Health. 2023 Feb 15;11:1097932. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1097932. eCollection 2023.
This article is part of the Research Topic Health Systems Recovery in the Context of COVID-19 and Protracted Conflict. Risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) is an essential component of emergency preparedness and response. In Iran, RCCE is a relatively new area of public health. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, the national task force relied on conventional methods, which is to utilize existing primary health care (PHC) structure to implement RCCE activities around the country. The PHC network and the community health volunteers embedded in it enabled the country to bridge the health system and communities from the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The RCCE strategy to respond to COVID-19 was adapted over time with the development of a national program, commonly known as the "Shahid Qassem Soleimani" project. This project consisted of six steps including case detection, laboratory testing through the establishment of sampling centers, scale up of clinical care to vulnerable groups, contact tracing, home care for vulnerable population, and COVID-19 vaccination roll out. Nearly 3 years into the pandemic, the importance of designing RCCE for all types of emergencies, allocating a dedicated team to RCCE, coordinating with different stakeholders, improving the capacity of RCCE focal points, practicing more efficient social listening, and using social insight for better planning were identified as some lessons learned. Further, Iran's RCCE experience during the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of continuing to invest in the health system, particularly PHC.
这篇文章是“COVID-19 和长期冲突背景下的卫生系统恢复”研究专题的一部分。风险沟通和社区参与（RCCE）是应急准备和应对的重要组成部分。在伊朗，RCCE 是公共卫生的一个相对较新的领域。在伊朗 COVID-19 大流行期间，国家工作队依靠常规方法，即利用现有的初级卫生保健（PHC）结构在全国范围内开展 RCCE 活动。PHC 网络及其嵌入的社区卫生志愿者使该国能够在 COVID-19 大流行的早期将卫生系统和社区联系起来。随着国家计划（通常称为“Shahid Qassem Soleimani”项目）的发展，应对 COVID-19 的 RCCE 战略也在不断调整。该项目包括六个步骤，包括病例发现、通过建立采样中心进行实验室检测、扩大对弱势群体的临床护理、接触者追踪、弱势群体的家庭护理以及 COVID-19 疫苗接种。大流行近 3 年后，确定了为各种紧急情况设计 RCCE、为 RCCE 分配专门团队、与不同利益相关者协调、提高 RCCE 重点人员的能力、更有效地进行社会倾听以及利用社会洞察力进行更好规划的重要性，这些都是经验教训。此外，伊朗在 COVID-19 大流行期间的 RCCE 经验强调了继续投资卫生系统，特别是初级卫生保健的重要性。
