Query: covid-19 communication

title: Critical Reflections on COVID 19 Communication Efforts Targeting Adolescents and Young Adults
abstract: Critical Reflections on COVID 19 Communication Efforts Targeting Adolescents and Young Adults Anne Abbott, M.P.P. Natoshia Askelson, Ph.D. Aaron M. Scherer, Ph.D. and Rima A. Afifi, Ph.D. a, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa Department of Internal Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

title: Patients and families strengthen COVID 19 communication across Los Angeles County

title: Protecting the psychological health of children through effective communication about COVID 19
abstract: www.thelancet.com/child adolescent Published online March 31, 2020  The attention of the world is rightly focused on measures to mitigate the transmission and economic effect of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID 19) pandemic. In this rapidly changing situation, media and social conversations are entirely dominated by the outbreak, and children are exposed to large amounts of information and high levels of stress and anxiety in the adults around them. Simultaneously, children are experiencing substantial changes to their daily routine and social infrastructure, which ordinarily foster resilience to challenging events. Parents would do anything to protect their children from distress and might avoid talking about difficult feelings and events. However, research shows that even children as young as 2 years are aware of the changes around them. Children's understanding evolves throughout childhood and adolescence. Thus, when adults talk to children, the information provided needs to take into account the child's age and level of understanding. Sensitive and effective communication about life threatening illness has major benefits for children and their family's longterm psychological wellbeing. Children need honest information about changes within their family; when this information is absent, children attempt to make sense of the situation on their own. Consideration of the child's developmental stage is crucial to ensure that communication is effective and neither underestimates or overestimates their understanding. Communicating with younger children should not solely rely on simplification of the language or concepts used, but must also take into account children's comprehension of illness and causality. Between the ages of approximately 4 and 7 years, understanding is substantially influenced by magical thinking, a concept that describes a child's belief that thoughts, wishes, or unrelated actions can cause external events eg, an illness can be caused by a particular thought or behaviour. The emergence of magical thinking occurs around the same time children are developing a sense of conscience, while still having a poor understanding of how illness is spread. Adults need to be vigilant that children are not inappropriately blaming themselves or feeling that the illness is a punishment for previous bad behaviour. Therefore, listening to what children believe about COVID 19 transmission is essential; providing children with an accurate explanation that is meaningful to them will ensure that they do not feel unnecessarily frightened or guilty. The uncertainty about the personal and global effects of COVID 19 is creating great concern, in addition to the specific psychological effect of quarantine. Adults' preoccupation with the implications of COVID 19 might compromise their ability to sensitively recognise and respond to children's cues or distress. Children are well attuned to adults' emotional states; exposure to unexplained and unpredictable behaviour is perceived by children as a threat, resulting in a state of anxiety. Even children younger than 2 years will notice the absence of regular caregivers (eg, grandparents) and become unsettled and upset, seeking their return. Conversely, children and adolescents' anxiety can also manifest in challenging externalising behaviours, such as acting out or arguing, rather than more typically assumed tearful, sad, or worried responses. Although adults often want to know how children are feeling, adults often do not set an example by sharing some of their own feelings, and conversations might well be dominated by the practical aspects of illness. Research has highlighted that parents sometimes specifically use technical or factual language to try and minimise their children's distress. An absence of emotion focused conversations might leave children anxious about the emotional state of the adults around them. This anxiety can inadvertently result in children's avoidance of sharing their own concerns in an attempt to protect others, leaving children to cope with these difficult feelings alone. Adults need to be authentic about some of the uncertainty and psychological challenges of the pandemic, without overwhelming children with their own fears. This honesty not only offers a coherent explanation for what children are observing, but also grants permission for children to safely talk about their own feelings. Normalising their emotional reactions and reassuring children about how the family will look after each other helps to contain anxiety and provides a shared focus. Protecting the psychological health of children through effective communication about COVID 19

title: Community pharmacists and communication in the time of COVID 19: Applying the health belief model
abstract: The emergence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID 19) pandemic presents an unprecedented health communications challenge. Healthcare providers should reinforce behaviors that limit the spread of the pandemic, including social distancing and remaining in the home whenever possible. Formal communications toolkits may not be prepared in a timely fashion. Community pharmacists can reinforce mitigation behaviors by applying the health belief model (HBM) This commentary provides an overview of the HBM and offers suggestions on how community pharmacists can use it as a guide to patient communication in these uncertain contexts.

title: Understanding coronavirus disease (COVID 19) risk perceptions among the public to enhance risk communication efforts: a practical approach for outbreaks, Finland, February 2020
abstract: Understanding risk perceptions of the public is critical for risk communication. In February 2020, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare started collecting weekly qualitative data on coronavirus disease (COVID 19) risk perception that informs risk communication efforts. The process is based on thematic analysis of emails and social media messages from the public and identifies factors linked to appraisal of risk magnitude, which are developed into risk communication recommendations together with health and communication experts.

title: Effective health communication a key factor in fighting the COVID 19 pandemic
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title: Public knowledge, perception and communication behavior surrounding COVID 19 in Malaysia
abstract: The COVID 19 pandemic is the first to occur in an age of hyperconnectivity. This paper presents results from an online anonymous survey conducted in Malay, English, and Chinese, during the first week of the Movement Control Order in Malaysia (n=1075) which aimed to examine public knowledge, perception and communication behavior in the Malaysian society in the face of a sudden outbreak and social distancing measures. Although the level of public knowledge, risk perception and positive communication behavior surrounding COVID 19 was high, a majority of respondents reported receiving a lot of questionable information. Multinomial logistic regression further identified that responses to different items varied significantly across respondent survey language, gender, age, education level and employment status.

title: Assessment of COVID 19 Knowledge Among University Students: Implications for Future Risk Communication Strategies
abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe population knowledge and beliefs about COVID 19 and current social media coverage to address a gap in what is known about risk communication during health crises. A survey with 27 questions was developed. Twenty three percent (N 1,136) of respondents started the survey. Less than half of the students reported a high health literacy level (43% n 365/855) When asked where students have heard about COVID 19, the majority reported the Internet and social media. Students reported a basic level of COVID 19 knowledge, but few students (18% n 173/966) correctly identified all three signs and/or symptoms of COVID 19. Results highlight the need for an increased public health presence on social media and the urgent need to remain diligent in educating community members about COVID 19 myths.

title: Considering Emotion in COVID 19 Vaccine Communication: Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and Fostering Vaccine Confidence
abstract: Long term control of the COVID 19 pandemic hinges in part on the development and uptake of a preventive vaccine. In addition to a segment of population that refuses vaccines, the novelty of the disease and concerns over safety and efficacy of the vaccine have a sizable proportion of the U.S. indicating reluctance to getting vaccinated against COVID 19. Among various efforts to address vaccine hesitancy and foster vaccine confidence, evidence based communication strategies are critical. There are opportunities to consider the role of emotion in communication efforts. In this commentary, we highlight several ways negative as well as positive emotions may be considered and leveraged. Examples include attending to negative emotions such as fear and anxiety, raising awareness of emotional manipulations by anti vaccine disinformation efforts, and activating positive emotions such as altruism and hope as part of vaccine education endeavors.

title: How COVID 19 Is Testing and Evolving Our Communication Skills
abstract: The COVID 19 pandemic forced us, as health care professionals and members of the general public, to adapt. Simple things we take for granted have become more difficult. As pressures increased for health care professionals, conversations and decisions have become tougher. This brought the need to adapt working practices and find ways to continue providing compassionate patient centred care remotely. In UK radiotherapy departments, radiation therapist (review radiographer) led clinics moved to telephone based clinics to reduce the time spent by patients in a hospital environment. This required setting up a "virtual" clinic room with patients by removing distractions and setting boundaries for the conversation. We have had to adapt our communication skills quickly as picking up on nonverbal cues is not possible through the phone. It can be challenging to understand feelings through the tone of a patient's voice and empathise accordingly. The pandemic has forced patients to slow down and really focus on themselves which has led to picking up physical and mental health changes earlier. This is one of the many positive outcomes that can be drawn from the pandemic. Although we have changed how we work, ultimately we are still here to help our patients.