Enacting care by being experts and managing relationships: A discourse analysis of chief medical officer of health media briefings during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ranade, Sudit; Brown, Judith Belle; Freeman, Tom; Thind, Amardeep

doi:10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100208

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…However, to date, few studies have documented where current ERC principles should be updated to best address future threats in the most practical ways possible. 10,11,12 Two practice-based research questions drove this study: 1) What communication challenges for government leaders worldwide complicated the COVID-19 response and ability to adhere to ERC principles of communication? and 2) What practical recommendations can improve ERC planning efforts for future crises?…”

Section: Principles Of Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Future responsibility for effective ERC will continue to fall on leading government officials from around the world, such as cabinet office members, ministers of health, chief medical officers, and prominent subnational figures. However, to date, few studies have documented where current ERC principles should be updated to best address future threats in the most practical ways possible [10][11][12].…”

Section: Principles Of Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Learning from COVID-19: Government Leaders’ Perspectives to Improve Effective Risk Communication

Savoia,

Piltch-Loeb,

Stanton

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the challenges of effective emergency risk communication (ERC) to protect public health, including the difficulty in tackling the spread of inaccurate information. This study aimed to understand those challenges and potential solutions by interviewing leading government spokespersons and their advisors from around the world with experience during large scale emergencies. Interviews were conducted with 27 individuals representing governments from 19 countries across five continents. Thematic analysis, using both a deductive and inductive approach, organized and identified salient themes and patterns that emerged from the interview data. Results The thematic analysis of the interviews’ data led to the identification of 9 principles of communication: 1) Timeliness, 2) Transparency, 3) Coordination, 4) Accuracy and Consistency, 5) Accountability and Integrity, 6) Independence from politics, 7) Responsiveness, 8) Equity, 9) Trust and Empathy. We also developed 36recommendations actionable by government agencies to enhance the practice of the 9 principles. Examples include the need for: proactive communication strategies, permanent communication task forces integrated into preparedness and response efforts, robust processes to enhance open discussion of controversial topics within government agencies, clarification of how various branches of governmentcoordinate to oversee specific aspects of the overall communication, and development of relationships across public and private entities ahead of a crisis. Conclusions Our findings suggest key practical recommendations for leaders of government agencies to enhance ERC capabilities going forward. Before a crisis, they must constantly review internal processes and integrate ERC functions into overall communication planning efforts. During a crisis, they must coordinate roles and responsibilities across branches of governments, strive to communicate to a range of populations to uphold equity, maintain transparency by avoiding information voids on controversial issues and build trust by building relationships with a variety of community leaders. After a crisis, government agencies should continue the practice of social listening to hear more about the public’s informational needs, strengthen civic participation processes, and understand how an always evolving information environment can best be leveraged during future crises.

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Section: Principles Of Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Principles Of Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning from COVID-19: Government Leaders’ Perspectives to Improve Effective Risk Communication

Savoia,

Piltch-Loeb,

Stanton

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Political polarization and health

Van Bavel,

Gadarian,

Knowles

et al. 2024

Nat Med

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w USA over the past 40 years (Fig. 1), and this is largely driven by increased out-group hate 28 . Affective polarization has increased in several other countries, including Switzerland, France, Denmark, Canada and New Zealand 30 , as well as much of southern Europe and east-central Europe 31 . This rise in affective polarization is associated with a wide variety of negative consequences, including feeling upset, displeased or unhappy were one's child to marry an out-party member 28 and shorter family gatherings during national holidays when attendees had opposing political beliefs 32 . As cross-cutting cleavages (that is, identity-based similarities between otherwise opposed partisans) dwindle and people become increasingly aligned along multiple social identities (for example, race, religion, education and geography) 33 , affective polarization will likely continue to grow.

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Learning from COVID-19: government leaders’ perspectives to improve emergency risk communication

Savoia,

Piltch-Loeb,

Stanton

et al. 2023

Global Health

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Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the challenges of effective emergency risk communication (ERC) to protect public health, including the difficulty in tackling the spread of inaccurate information. This study aimed to understand those challenges and potential solutions by interviewing leading government spokespersons and their advisors from around the world with experience during large scale emergencies. Interviews were conducted with 27 individuals representing governments from 19 countries across five continents. Thematic analysis, using both a deductive and inductive approach, organized and identified salient themes and patterns that emerged from the interview data. Results The thematic analysis of the interviews’ data led to the identification of 9 principles of communication: 1) Timeliness, 2) Transparency, 3) Coordination, 4) Accuracy and Consistency, 5) Accountability and Integrity, 6) Independence from politics, 7) Responsiveness, 8) Equity, 9) Trust and Empathy. We also developed 36 recommendations actionable by government agencies to enhance the practice of the 9 principles. Examples include the need for: proactive communication strategies, permanent communication task forces integrated into preparedness and response efforts, robust processes to enhance open discussion of controversial topics within government agencies, clarification of how various branches of government coordinate to oversee specific aspects of the overall communication, and development of relationships across public and private entities ahead of a crisis. Conclusions Our findings suggest key practical recommendations for leaders of government agencies to enhance ERC capabilities going forward. Before a crisis, they must constantly review internal processes and integrate ERC functions into overall communication planning efforts. During a crisis, they must coordinate roles and responsibilities across branches of governments, strive to communicate to a range of populations to uphold equity, maintain transparency by avoiding information voids on controversial issues and build trust by building relationships with a variety of community leaders. After a crisis, government agencies should continue the practice of social listening to hear more about the public’s informational needs, strengthen civic participation processes, and understand how an always evolving information environment can best be leveraged during future crises.

show abstract

Enacting care by being experts and managing relationships: A discourse analysis of chief medical officer of health media briefings during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 3 publications

References 27 publications

Learning from COVID-19: Government Leaders’ Perspectives to Improve Effective Risk Communication

Learning from COVID-19: Government Leaders’ Perspectives to Improve Effective Risk Communication

Political polarization and health

Learning from COVID-19: government leaders’ perspectives to improve emergency risk communication

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