Risk Communication from healthcare point of view, Department of Community Medicine

1. RISK COMMUNICATION
MODERATOR:
PROF H.SANAYAIMA
DEVI
PRESENTERS:
NAOREM RISHIKANTA
SINGH
ISAAC LALRAWNGBAWLA

2. OUTLINE
• Introduction
• Definition
• Hazard-outrage ratio
• Risk perception
• Aims
• Principles
• Forms/types
• Potential outcomes
• Process
• Cardinal rules
• 7C’s
• SOCO and the POINT
• Barriers
• Importance in public health
• Phases of development
• Operational structure
(NRCP)
• WHO recommendation

3. HAZARD & RISK

4. HAZARD & RISK
Something that has the potential to cause someone harm
or ill-health
(MoHFW)

5. HAZARD & RISK
The probability or threat of quantifiable damage, injury,
liability, loss, or any other negative occurrence that is
caused by external or internal vulnerabilities, and that may
be avoided through preemptive action
(MoHFW)

6. WHAT IS RISK COMMUNICATION?

7. The exchange of information among interested parties about the
nature, magnitude, significance, or control of a risk
Covello, von Winterfeldt, & Slovic, 1987;
National Research Council, 1989

8. According to WHO, it is the real-time exchange of information,
advice and opinions between experts or officials and people who
face a hazard or threat to their survival, health, economic or social
wellbeing

9. HAZARD OUTRAGE
RISK
According to Peter M. Sandman

10. Fig: Four tasks of risk communication

11. FACTORS
AFFECTING RISK
PERCEPTION

12. Voluntariness Controllability Fairness
Familiarity Understanding Effects on children

13. Dread Media attention Reversibility
Personal stake
Catastrophic
potential
Human vs Natural
origin

15. Generating confidence in public
Assist in reduction of risk
Enhance the risk reduction behaviors

16. PRINCIPLES

17. • Timing – early announcement and dissemination of available
information
• Trust – trusted sources gain the confidence of the community
• Transparent – visibility or accessibility of information
• Empathy – convey the concern that the government shares with the
community

18. • Factual context – facts of the situation
• Invalidate rumors – address the circulating rumors for allaying the
anxieties
• Media monitoring – track the response

19. FORMS/TYPES
Covello, 1988

20. Information and
education
Behaviour change and
protective action
Disaster warning and
emergency information
Joint problem and
conflict resolution

21. POTENTIAL
OUTCOMES

22. Trust building
Increased
awareness about
risk
Knowledge of
where to find
relevant
information
Uptake of
protective
behaviors
Decrease in
spread and belief
of misinformation

24. Provide
information in a
timely manner
Be transparent,
including
uncertainties
Show
empathy
Listen
Know your
audience

26. • Accept and involve the public as a
legitimate partner
• Plan carefully and evaluate
performance
• Listen to your audience
• Be honest, frank, and open
• Coordinate and collaborate with other
credible sources
• Meet the needs of the media

27. 7Cs OF
EFFECTIVE RISK
COMMUNICATION

28. 7Cs OF
EFFECTIVE RISK
COMMUNICATION
• Competency
• Caring
• Credibility
• Clarity
• Connecting
• Consistency
• Collaboration

29. Three basic tips for effective communication
 SOCO (Single Overarching Communication Outcome)
 What’s in it for me? (client perspective)
 the POINT

30. SOCO
“change you want to see in your audience as a result of your communication”
 Explicit about the change you want & time-limited
 Realistic and achievable
 Contribute to a larger programme goal or objective
 Fixed point on which you keep your mind when communicating

31. How to develop SOCO
 Step 1: What is your issue?
 Step 2: Why do you want to focus on this issue and why do you
want to focus on it now?
 Step 3: Who needs to change their behavior (audience)?
 Step 4: What is the change that you want to see in your audience
as a result of your communication? (This is your SOCO)

32. Example for SOCO
Step 1: What is your issue? Antimicrobial resistance
Step 2: Why do you want to
focus on this issue and why
do you want to focus on it
now?
• Growing evidence of antimicrobial
resistance
• Adequate access to effective
antimicrobial agents is necessary
• Responsible and prudent use is
essential for maintaining therapeutic
efficacy
• Antibiotics are too often freely
accessible and used without
supervision

33. do you want to focus on it
now?
essential for maintaining therapeutic
efficacy
• Antibiotics are too often freely
accessible and used without
supervision
Step 3: Who needs to
change their behavior
(audience)?
Option 1: Patients
Option 2: Doctors
Step 4: What is the change
that you want to see in
your audience as a result of
your communication?
If option 1: Patients stop buying
antibiotics without proper prescription
If option 2: Prescription of antibiotics only
with proper indications

34. The POINT
 SOCO  you know where you are going or aiming
 Once you know where you are aiming, get there as fast as possible
The POINT is a basic, common-sense and essential communications tip

35. Barriers to risk communication
Differences in
perception
Differences in
receptivity
Lack of understanding
of scientific process
Source credibility
The media Societal characteristics

36. Importance of risk communication in public health
Proactive communication
Prevent infodemic
Alleviate confusion
Understand health risks

37. Phases of development of risk communication plan
Planning
Mitigation
Response
Recovery

38. Preparedness phase
Enlisting functions of RC team
Evaluation of earlier efforts
Document budget, human resources, capacity building
Ongoing monitoring & evaluation approach of risk assessment
How to communicate varying types of information
Enlisting available mechanisms for risk communication

39. Document budget, human resources, capacity building
Ongoing monitoring & evaluation approach of risk assessment
How to communicate varying types of information
Enlisting available mechanisms for risk communication
Development of RC messages
Assigning duties for RC team
Organizing of press briefing

40. Mitigation phase
“Steps taken, from a communications perspective, to reduce the chance of a
public health emergency or to reduce the negative impact should there be
one”
Providing updated & latest information
Correcting misinformation
Providing right & newer facts
Addressing public concerns

41. Response phase
“Steps taken, from a communications perspective, during a crisis or
emergency”
Important points to be addressed
(i) Acknowledge event
(ii) Acknowledge risk with empathy
(iii)Credible spokesperson
(iv)Information on behavioral aspects
(v) Commitment

42. Ten steps
Verify
Core team of experts
Notifications of all the teams
Assess level of crisis
Assign duties & inform roles
Preparation of information, seeking

43. Assign duties & inform roles

44. Recovery phase
“Phase of learning and to see what worked and what did not work
while managing and communicating during an emergency
situation”
Goals
(i) Improve public response to future emergencies
(ii) Support public policy
(iii)Resource allocation
(iv)Enhance the capabilities for response

45. District Risk Communication Committee
Operational structure
State Risk Communication Committee
Technical, Communication Expert & Media
National Risk Communication Advisory Body
Technical, Communication Expert & Media

46. District Risk Communication Committee
Operational structure
State Risk Communication Committee
Technical, Communication Expert & Media
National Risk Communication Advisory Body
Technical, Communication Expert & Media

47. District Risk Communication Committee
Operational structure
National Risk Communication Advisory Body
Technical, Communication Expert & Media
State Risk Communication Committee
Technical, Communication Expert & Media

48. Communicating risk in public health emergencies
WHO guideline for emergency risk communication (ERC) policy and practice

49. Background
• During public health emergencies, people need to know
 what health risks they face and
 what actions they can take to protect their lives and health
• Accurate information provided early
understand, trust & use
enables to make choices and take actions
protect themselves/families/communities from health hazards

50. Recommendations fall into three categories

51. A
Building trust and engaging
with affected populations
Recommendations fall into three categories

52. A
Building trust and engaging
with affected populations
B
Recommendations fall into three categories
Integrating ERC into health and
emergency response systems

53. A
Building trust and engaging
with affected populations
B
Recommendations fall into three categories
Integrating ERC into health and
emergency response systems
ERC practice
C

54. Building trust and engaging with affected populations
To build trust, risk communication interventions should
• Link to functioning and accessible services
• Be transparent
• Be timely
• Be easy-to-understand
• Acknowledge uncertainty
• Address and engage affected populations
• Link to self-efficacy
• Disseminated using multiple platforms

55. Building trust and engaging with affected populations
Communicating uncertainty
Communication by authorities to the public should
• Include explicit information about uncertainties
associated with risks, events and interventions
• Indicate what is known and not known at a
given time

56. Building trust and engaging with affected populations
Community engagement
• Identify people whom the community trusts and
build relationships with them
• Involve them in decision-making to ensure that
interventions are collaborative and contextually
appropriate, and that the community owns the
process of communication

57. Integrating Emergency risk communication into health
and emergency response systems
Governance and leadership
ERC should have
• Designated strategic role in global and national
emergency preparedness
• Response leadership teams with well-defined
roles and responsibilities for communication
personnel

58. Integrating Emergency risk communication into health
and emergency response systems
Information systems and coordination
• Develop and build on relevant stakeholder and
organizational networks
• Tailor information and communication systems to
users’ needs
• Involve local stakeholders to guarantee the flow of
information across sectors

59. Integrating Emergency risk communication into health
and emergency response systems
Capacity building
• Preparation and training of personnel for ERC
• Organized regularly
• Focus on coordination across involved
stakeholders

60. Integrating Emergency risk communication into health
and emergency response systems
Finance
• ERC requires a defined and sustained budget that
should be a component of core budgeting for
emergency preparedness, response and recovery

61. Emergency risk communication practice
Strategic communication planning
• Occur well in advance
• Continuous process with a focus on
preparedness as well as response
• Sensitive to stakeholders’ needs
• Participatory
• Responsive to the context
• Incorporate feedback from affected groups

62. Monitoring and evaluation tools
Research is required to
• Establish best mechanisms and methods for
rapidly evaluating ERC interventions
• Incorporate evaluation findings and feedback
from stakeholders and communities
• Inform and improve ongoing and future
responses
Emergency risk communication practice

63. Social media
• Engage the public
• Facilitate peer-to-peer communication
• Create situational awareness
• Monitor and respond to rumours, public
reactions and concerns during an emergency
• Facilitate local-level responses
Emergency risk communication practice

64. Messaging
• Risk should not be explained in technical terms
• Consistent messages should come from
different information sources and emerge early
on in the emergency
• Messages should promote specific actions
people can realistically take to protect their
health
Emergency risk communication practice

65. • Success of risk communication relies
heavily on public confidence in government
agencies
• Guidelines advocate that it should be
truthful, honest, frank and open
• Trust plays an important part in public
perceptions about severity of that risk
Conclusion