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Chapter 4 - Addressing the Information Needs of the Public and Medical Community during a Public Health Emergency

from Part I - Precrisis Planning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2025

Kathleen G. V. Melville
Kathleen G. V. Melville
Affiliation:
Tulane University School of Medicine, Louisiana
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Summary

Health emergencies create unique information needs for different audience segments. This chapter outlines the differences in information needs between the general public and the medical community. Information needs of the medical community relate to scientific guidance, data reporting, health risks, personal protective equipment, interventions, and treatments. By analyzing communications used during a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Clinical Outreach and Community Activity team webinar on COVID-19 vaccines, readers can identify the unique needs of the medical community. Epidemiologists and emergency risk communications can cocreate data-driven and actionable emergency messages when they collaborate. This chapter offers insights into how epidemiologists and emergency risk communicators can cocreate messages on health risks and interventions and leverage data graphics to help explain health risks to the public. The chapter also describes how health care practitioners can use and apply the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) framework within health care organizations to communicate to staff and patients. A student case study analyzes the US Ebola health emergency using the CERC framework. Reflection questions are included at the end of the chapter.

Keywords

epidemiologisthealth care providersCERCCERC analysisCERC in hospitalsmedical community information needsinformation needsemergency risk communicationZikaEbola case studyCERC case studyZika communicationEbola communicationaudience information needsCOCA webinardata graphicsrisk graphicshospital communicationhospital CERCclinicial outreachclinical communication
Type
Chapter
Information
Risk Communication in Public Health Emergencies
Practical Guidance Rooted in Theory
 , pp. 76 - 106
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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