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New Research: Analysis of Risk Communication on Ebola Crisis Finds Public Could Benefit from Less Assurance, More Empowerment
Sun May 17, 2015
For Information Contact:
Glenn O'Neal, 703-907-8640
press@psych.org
Erin Connors, 703-907-8562
econnors@psych.org
TORONTO ? Analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) communications effort about the Ebola outbreak in 2014 found significant room for improvement, including more focus on offering people things to do and less over-reassurance. During the recent Ebola crisis, significant mental health distress was found in individuals who had the disease, were quarantined, worked with people with Ebola or feared acquiring the disease.
Researchers Daniel Witter, M.D., Ph.D., Kyle Dalton and Joseph Thornton, M.D., evaluated CDC?s communication strategy based on guidelines on infectious disease risk communication developed as recommendations to the World Health Organization (WHO). Using these recommendations as a guide, researchers analyzed transcripts from three televised news conferences in which CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden discussed the risk associated with the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. The authors conclude that "empowerment, rather than assurance, should be the goal of risk communication."
...
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CDC's Ebola Risk Communication Strategy Found Lacking
Megan Brooks
May 26, 2015
TORONTO ― The way the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided information to the public on the risk for Ebola shows "significant room for improvement," new research suggests.
...
Following the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the World Health Organization (WHO) offered risk communication guidelines for relaying information to the public.
Developed by a psychologist and psychiatrist, these guidelines are divided into consensus recommendations, which advise not to overreassure the public or put reassuring information in subordinate clauses and offer actionable items for the public to undertake. Debatable recommendations included creating alarm, acknowledging opinion diversity, and showing a willingness to speculate.
"The Ebola epidemic provided a unique opportunity to see if these guidelines were followed. It was a different organization, but we felt that the WHO guidelines would be an appropriate measure to look at the CDC's actual coverage of the Ebola situation," Dr Witter noted.
...
Dr Witter and colleagues did a qualitative analysis of three transcripts of televised news conferences in which CDC director Thomas Frieden, MD, related information about the Ebola crisis. They went through line by line looking for examples in which the guidelines had been appropriately followed or not.
...
The investigators note that the biggest strength of the CDC's risk communication strategy was offering people things to do; the biggest weakness overall was overreassurance about the risk of Ebola spreading.
...
The investigators suggested that the CDC would have benefited from following the WHO guidelines....
They add that "empowerment, rather than assurance, should be the goal of risk communication."
...
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WHO/CDS/2005.31a
Effective Media Communication
during Public Health Emergencies
A WHO FIELD GUIDE
...
BOX 2.1: EXAMPLE OF A MEDIA COMMUNICATION GOAL STATEMENT
The goals of the agency in the event of a disease outbreak are to:
? maintain, increase or restore trust as an overriding goal;
? inform and educate governmental authorities, municipal officials, the public and the media regarding:
- details of the outbreak
- outbreak prevention measures, including personal protection measures
- the agency?s surveillance plan
- the agency?s response plan
- disease control methods;
? increase awareness of the disease, its transmission, its prevention and its diagnosis among health care
providers, including general and hospital practitioners;
? increase awareness among health care providers of the use of control measures;
? communicate disease control information and recommendations to governmental authorities,
municipal officials, the public and media in a timely and efficient manner; and
? collaborate and cooperate with key partners and nongovernmental organizations to review and
disseminate communication materials.
INFORMATION POINT: Panic avoidance as a goal
Many communication plans list the avoidance of panic as a major goal. Panic describes an intense
contagious fear causing individuals to think only of themselves.
Risk factors for panic include:
? the belief that there is only a small chance of escape;
? the perception that there are no accessible escape routes;
? perceiving oneself at high risk of being seriously injured or killed;
? available but limited resources for assistance;
? perceptions of a ?first come, first served? system;
? a perceived lack of effective management of the event;
? a perceived lack of control;
? crowd (?mob?) psychology and dynamics; and
? authorities that have lost their credibility.
However, studies indicate that panic is rare, and that most people respond cooperatively and adaptively to
natural and man-made disasters. Panic avoidance should never be used as a rationale for false reassurance
or for lack of transparency on the part of authorities.
Panic may be more likely following a bio-terrorism attack involving contagious, dreaded or lethal diseases
such as plague or smallpox. In such cases, a crucial factor in determining the public response will be the
presence, actions and words of respected, credible authorities.
...
Also on FT:
Sun May 17, 2015
For Information Contact:
Glenn O'Neal, 703-907-8640
press@psych.org
Erin Connors, 703-907-8562
econnors@psych.org
TORONTO ? Analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) communications effort about the Ebola outbreak in 2014 found significant room for improvement, including more focus on offering people things to do and less over-reassurance. During the recent Ebola crisis, significant mental health distress was found in individuals who had the disease, were quarantined, worked with people with Ebola or feared acquiring the disease.
Researchers Daniel Witter, M.D., Ph.D., Kyle Dalton and Joseph Thornton, M.D., evaluated CDC?s communication strategy based on guidelines on infectious disease risk communication developed as recommendations to the World Health Organization (WHO). Using these recommendations as a guide, researchers analyzed transcripts from three televised news conferences in which CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden discussed the risk associated with the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. The authors conclude that "empowerment, rather than assurance, should be the goal of risk communication."
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CDC's Ebola Risk Communication Strategy Found Lacking
Megan Brooks
May 26, 2015
TORONTO ― The way the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided information to the public on the risk for Ebola shows "significant room for improvement," new research suggests.
...
Following the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the World Health Organization (WHO) offered risk communication guidelines for relaying information to the public.
Developed by a psychologist and psychiatrist, these guidelines are divided into consensus recommendations, which advise not to overreassure the public or put reassuring information in subordinate clauses and offer actionable items for the public to undertake. Debatable recommendations included creating alarm, acknowledging opinion diversity, and showing a willingness to speculate.
"The Ebola epidemic provided a unique opportunity to see if these guidelines were followed. It was a different organization, but we felt that the WHO guidelines would be an appropriate measure to look at the CDC's actual coverage of the Ebola situation," Dr Witter noted.
...
Dr Witter and colleagues did a qualitative analysis of three transcripts of televised news conferences in which CDC director Thomas Frieden, MD, related information about the Ebola crisis. They went through line by line looking for examples in which the guidelines had been appropriately followed or not.
...
The investigators note that the biggest strength of the CDC's risk communication strategy was offering people things to do; the biggest weakness overall was overreassurance about the risk of Ebola spreading.
...
The investigators suggested that the CDC would have benefited from following the WHO guidelines....
They add that "empowerment, rather than assurance, should be the goal of risk communication."
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHO/CDS/2005.31a
Effective Media Communication
during Public Health Emergencies
A WHO FIELD GUIDE
...
BOX 2.1: EXAMPLE OF A MEDIA COMMUNICATION GOAL STATEMENT
The goals of the agency in the event of a disease outbreak are to:
? maintain, increase or restore trust as an overriding goal;
? inform and educate governmental authorities, municipal officials, the public and the media regarding:
- details of the outbreak
- outbreak prevention measures, including personal protection measures
- the agency?s surveillance plan
- the agency?s response plan
- disease control methods;
? increase awareness of the disease, its transmission, its prevention and its diagnosis among health care
providers, including general and hospital practitioners;
? increase awareness among health care providers of the use of control measures;
? communicate disease control information and recommendations to governmental authorities,
municipal officials, the public and media in a timely and efficient manner; and
? collaborate and cooperate with key partners and nongovernmental organizations to review and
disseminate communication materials.
INFORMATION POINT: Panic avoidance as a goal
Many communication plans list the avoidance of panic as a major goal. Panic describes an intense
contagious fear causing individuals to think only of themselves.
Risk factors for panic include:
? the belief that there is only a small chance of escape;
? the perception that there are no accessible escape routes;
? perceiving oneself at high risk of being seriously injured or killed;
? available but limited resources for assistance;
? perceptions of a ?first come, first served? system;
? a perceived lack of effective management of the event;
? a perceived lack of control;
? crowd (?mob?) psychology and dynamics; and
? authorities that have lost their credibility.
However, studies indicate that panic is rare, and that most people respond cooperatively and adaptively to
natural and man-made disasters. Panic avoidance should never be used as a rationale for false reassurance
or for lack of transparency on the part of authorities.
Panic may be more likely following a bio-terrorism attack involving contagious, dreaded or lethal diseases
such as plague or smallpox. In such cases, a crucial factor in determining the public response will be the
presence, actions and words of respected, credible authorities.
...
Also on FT:
