Importance of effective communication during COVID-19 infodemic

B Venkatashiva Reddy; Arti Gupta

doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_719_20

Importance of effective communication during COVID-19 infodemic

J Family Med Prim Care. 2020 Aug 25;9(8):3793-3796. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_719_20. eCollection 2020 Aug.

Authors

B Venkatashiva Reddy¹, Arti Gupta²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Community Medicine, NRI Academy of Medical Sciences, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India.
² Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Abstract

The impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups would rely in part on the quality of communication regarding health risk and danger. Strategic planning should take full account of the way life conditions, cultural values, and risk experience affect actions during a pandemic. Concept of information education communication, Social behaviour change communication, social marketing usually technology and media is recapitulation. Ignorance with sociocultural, economic, psychological, and health factors can jeopardize effective communication at all levels. We summarized the framework for effective communication during pandemic. Understanding and practicing various communication strategies is crucial for physicians and health care workers to develop therapeutic relationships with COVID-19 patients. Addressing psychology in all people is vital during a pandemic and effective communication network is key to it. Effective communication, if ignored, will generate gaps for vulnerable populations and result in added difficulty in combating COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID; Communication; corona; information; message; pandemic.

Publication types

Editorial