Balancing incomplete COVID-19 evidence and local priorities: risk communication and stakeholder engagement strategies for school re-opening

Hoover, Anna; Heiger-Bernays, Wendy; Ojha, Sweta; Pennell, Kelly G.

doi:10.1515/reveh-2020-0092

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Several prior studies have investigated decision-making in response to COVID-19 within single sectors. These studies support the decision categories that emerged from our analysis, including decisions related to allocating resources (30), translating guidance into real-world organizational context (31), and addressing downstream social impacts (32). Our finding that cross-sector collaborations were critical components of the COVID-19 pandemic response builds upon several prior studies illustrating specific collaborations emerging in response to COVID-19-related needs, ranging from childcare for healthcare workers to local COVID-19 surveillance through school districts (33)(34)(35)(36).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Cross-sector decision landscape in response to COVID-19: A qualitative network mapping analysis of North Carolina decision-makers

Biddell

Johnson²,

Patel³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic response has demonstrated the interconnectedness of individuals, organizations, and other entities jointly contributing to the production of community health. This response has involved stakeholders from numerous sectors who have been faced with new decisions, objectives, and constraints. We examined the cross-sector organizational decision landscape that formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in North Carolina.MethodsWe conducted virtual semi-structured interviews with 44 organizational decision-makers representing nine sectors in North Carolina between October 2020 and January 2021 to understand the decision-making landscape within the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with a complexity/systems thinking lens, we defined the decision landscape as including decision-maker roles, key decisions, and interrelationships involved in producing community health. We used network mapping and conventional content analysis to analyze transcribed interviews, identifying relationships between stakeholders and synthesizing key themes.ResultsDecision-maker roles were characterized by underlying tensions between balancing organizational mission with employee/community health and navigating organizational vs. individual responsibility for reducing transmission. Decision-makers' roles informed their perspectives and goals, which influenced decision outcomes. Key decisions fell into several broad categories, including how to translate public health guidance into practice; when to institute, and subsequently loosen, public health restrictions; and how to address downstream social and economic impacts of public health restrictions. Lastly, given limited and changing information, as well as limited resources and expertise, the COVID-19 response required cross-sector collaboration, which was commonly coordinated by local health departments who had the most connections of all organization types in the resulting network map.ConclusionsBy documenting the local, cross-sector decision landscape that formed in response to COVID-19, we illuminate the impacts different organizations may have on information/misinformation, prevention behaviors, and, ultimately, health. Public health researchers and practitioners must understand, and work within, this complex decision landscape when responding to COVID-19 and future community health challenges.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Cross-sector decision landscape in response to COVID-19: A qualitative network mapping analysis of North Carolina decision-makers

Biddell

Johnson²,

Patel³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several prior studies have investigated decision-making in response to COVID-19 within single sectors. These studies support the decision categories that emerged from our analysis, including decisions related to allocating resources, 19 translating guidance into real-world organizational context, 20 and addressing downstream social impacts. 21 Our finding that cross-sector collaborations were critical components of the COVID-19 pandemic response builds upon several prior studies illustrating specific collaborations emerging in response to COVID-19-related needs, ranging from childcare for healthcare workers to local COVID-19 surveillance through school districts.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Cross-sector Decision Landscape in Response to COVID-19: A Qualitative Analysis of North Carolina Decision-Makers

Biddell

Johnson

Patel

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Context: The COVID-19 pandemic response has demonstrated the interconnectedness of individuals, organizations, and other entities jointly contributing to the production of community health. This response has involved stakeholders from numerous sectors who have been faced with new decisions, objectives, and constraints. Objective: We aimed to examine the cross-sector organizational decision landscape that formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: We applied a systems approach to the qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews on the cross-sector, organizational response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed transcribed interviews using conventional content analysis to synthesize key themes. Setting: Semi-structured interviews were conducted via secure, video-conferencing platform between October 2020 and January 2021. Participants: Forty-four state and local decision-makers representing organizations from nine sectors in North Carolina participated. Main Outcome Measures: We defined the decision landscape as including decision-maker roles, key decisions, and inter-relationships involved in producing community health. Results: Decision-maker roles were characterized by underlying tensions between balancing organizational mission with employee/community health and navigating organizational versus individual responsibility for reducing transmission. Key Decisions fell into several broad categories, including how to translate public health guidance into practice; when to institute, and subsequently loosen, public health restrictions; and how to address downstream social and economic impacts of public health restrictions. Lastly, given limited and changing information, as well as limited resources and expertise, the COVID-19 response required cross-sector collaboration, which was commonly coordinated by local health departments. Conclusions: By documenting the local, cross-sector decision landscape that formed in response to COVID-19, we illuminate the impacts different organizations may have on information/misinformation, prevention behaviors, and, ultimately, health. Public health researchers and practitioners must understand, and work within, this complex decision landscape when responding to COVID-19 and future community health challenges.

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“… 43 , 44 For example, many academic journals announced that they would be providing open access to their COVID-19 related materials, while some, such as the New England Journal of Medicine , translated their COVID-19 related articles into Chinese in the early stages of the pandemic. 53 , 54 , 55 …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early stage risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) strategies and measures against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic crisis

Zhang¹,

Tambo²,

Djuikoue³

et al. 2021

Global Health Journal

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has proven to be tenacious and shows that the global community is still poorly prepared to handling such emerging pandemics. Enhancing global solidarity in emergency preparedness and response, and the mobilization of conscience and cooperation, can serve as an excellent source of ideas and measures in a timely manner. The article provides an overview of the key components of risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) strategies at the early stages in vulnerable nations and populations, and highlight contextual recommendations for strengthening coordinated and sustainable RCCE preventive and emergency response strategies against COVID-19 pandemic. Global solidarity calls for firming governance, abundant community participation and enough trust to boost early pandemic preparedness and response. Promoting public RCCE response interventions needs crucially improving government health systems and security proactiveness, community to individual confinement, trust and resilience solutions. To better understand population risk and vulnerability, as well as COVID-19 transmission dynamics, it is important to build intelligent systems for monitoring isolation/quarantine and tracking by use of artificial intelligence and machine learning systems algorithms. Experiences and lessons learned from the international community is crucial for emerging pandemics prevention and control programs, especially in promoting evidence-based decision-making, integrating data and models to inform effective and sustainable RCCE strategies, such as local and global safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines and mass immunization programs.

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Balancing incomplete COVID-19 evidence and local priorities: risk communication and stakeholder engagement strategies for school re-opening

Cited by 12 publications

References 68 publications

Cross-sector decision landscape in response to COVID-19: A qualitative network mapping analysis of North Carolina decision-makers

Cross-sector decision landscape in response to COVID-19: A qualitative network mapping analysis of North Carolina decision-makers

Cross-sector Decision Landscape in Response to COVID-19: A Qualitative Analysis of North Carolina Decision-Makers

Early stage risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) strategies and measures against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic crisis

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