"Beating Your Head Against the Wall": Burnout on the Rise Among Local Health Department Communication Officials

Experiences of Public Health Professionals Regarding Crisis Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic emerged in the digital age and has been called the first "data-driven pandemic" in human history. The global response demonstrated that many countries had failed to effectively prepare for such an event. Learning through experience in a crisis is one way to improve the crisis management process. As the world has returned to normal after the pandemic, questions about crisis management have been raised in several countries and require careful consideration.

OBJECTIVE

This review aimed to collect and organize public health professionals' experiences in crisis communication to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and Communication Abstracts in February 2024 to locate English-language articles that qualitatively investigated the difficulties and needs experienced by health professionals in their communication activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

This review included 17 studies. Our analysis identified 7 themes and 20 subthemes. The 7 themes were difficulties in pandemic communication, difficulties caused by the "infodemic," difficulties in partnerships within or outside of public health, difficulties in community engagement, difficulties in effective communication, burnout among communicators, and the need to train communication specialists and establish a permanent organization specializing in communication.

CONCLUSIONS

This review identified the gaps between existing crisis communication guidelines and real-world crisis communication in the digital environment and clarified the difficulties and needs that arose from these gaps. Crisis communication strategies and guidelines should be updated with reference to the themes revealed in this review to effectively respond to subsequent public health crises.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42024528975; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=528975.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.2196/58040.

Analysis of public opinion polls about COVID-19 vaccines: Theoretical and policy implications for vaccine communication and campaigns to address vaccine hesitancy

This study analyzed 1432 questions asked in 19 surveys (N = 43,014) on COVID-19 vaccines between January 2020 and August 2022 using dimensions including (1) information sources about COVID-19 vaccine, (2) information about the access, effectiveness, and side effects of COVID-19 vaccine, (3) COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (i.e. false perception, skepticism, and vaccine refusal), (4) motivations to get the COVID-19 vaccine (i.e. to perform routine activities, convenience, incentives, influences, and travel requirement), (5) false perceptions caused vaccine refusal, and (6) intentions to get vaccinated. Our results show that vaccine refusal was rampant throughout the pandemic and mostly attributed to the rush in the vaccine development process and perceived safety risks. Additionally, our analysis indicates that people's motivation to get vaccinated came from varied sources such as doctors, family members, and politicians. Lastly, mandating vaccines during the pandemic did not significantly increase uptake among individuals who were initially skeptical, and concerns about the rapid development of the vaccine were a major cause of vaccine hesitancy. Findings were discussed and interpreted using the information deficit model, the two-step flow theory, and the reactance theory. This research provides valuable insights and practical implications, along with significant theoretical contributions and policy recommendations.

Climate Communication, Public Health, and Social Media: Examining the Role of Health Agencies in Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health

The impacts of climate change on human health are a critical public health concern, with previous studies highlighting its clear effects on well-being. Understanding how state and territorial health agencies (STHAs) are addressing these emerging risks is important. This study conducted 26 in-depth interviews across the U.S. to explore the perceptions and communication strategies of STHA officials regarding climate change's impact on human health. Additionally, the study sought to identify the primary challenges faced by these officials to effectively communicate the impacts. Thematic analysis of the data revealed three major themes: community building and coalitions, climate denialism on social media, and misinformation about climate change and its effects on human health. These findings offer valuable insights for climate change and public health communication. The importance of the STHAs' development of technical and informational capacity to effectively communicate climate-related risks and threats is emphasized.