Medicine (GCMGM) with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a national risk communication capacity assessment on 8 – 12 November 2015. Compare the risk communication function at the national level to the subnational and directorate levels. Build a community engagement function for emergency risk communication response from existing health promotion functions in the MoH, but processes, structures and content must be based on formal assessments.
The MoH should immediately examine its existing structure and ensure that all levels will be represented in the risk communication working group. The MoH should initiate the implementation of risk communication awareness workshops across all levels of the KSA system to increase awareness and acceptance of the approach as an integral component of public health emergency preparedness. In light of this, WHO has guided the KSA on the approach to be taken to strengthen the national emergency communication capacity.
A team of six communication experts from WHO headquarters, WHO-EMRO, WHO-Saudi Arabia country office and WHO country office in Lebanon, with support from four GCMGM staff, conducted the assessment of the KSA MoH's risk communication capacity. Using the five domain categories of Risk Communication Systems, Internal and Partner Communication and Coordination, Public. Recent MERS-CoV outbreaks in Saudi Arabia have demonstrated the need for a formalized risk communication unit within the MoH.
Currently there is no designated risk communication unit for health hazards in MoH.
Internal and Partner Communication and Coordination
Map partner communication staff, skills and internal functions to potential areas for collaboration in emergency response, surveillance and. To ensure a sustainable system, a clear risk communication budget is needed to support preparedness, surveillance and response activities. Require mandatory feedback and provision of resources to support regular evaluations or after-action reviews for exercises and responses to further improve internal and external partner communication coordination. technical/programme management) should also be assigned for regular performance evaluations of MoH departments, units and staff at the upper and lower levels of.
This should include after action reviews following each activation of a risk communication and JIC activation. Results of exercise and response reviews should not be punitive, but should be used solely to improve the plan and systems. Develop internal web portals and content syndication to more easily share MoH material and information with partners' websites: Create simple platforms for facilitation, coordination, transparency, visibility and accountability in internal communication, e.g.
From the list of recommendations for internal communication and partner communication and coordination submitted by the WHO assessment team, a working group from the MoH developed the next steps needed to. The team must have experience in public health, emergency situations and communications (including media relations and community engagement) and have advanced skills in strategic program management.
Public Communication
Establish a communications strategy, including established procedures that proactively reach a variety of media platforms (newspapers, radio, TV, social media, internet) in different languages to target communications messages to specific audiences; including establishing local and international media outlets (updated lists and channels), and. Conduct audience analytics to understand languages, trusted information sources and preferred communication channels that fuel the communications strategy and can be optimized accordingly. Organize regular and ongoing journalist engagement events, such as monthly short sessions on health issues that pose a risk to the population of KSA and scientific desk reviews for a deeper understanding of what staff are doing in the Ministry of Health.
Use multilingual solutions for health awareness materials aimed at pilgrims and other expatriates and foreigners living and working in Saudi Arabia. From the list of recommendations for public information provided by the WHO evaluation team, the Ministry of Health working group selected the following three recommendations and developed the next steps necessary to actualize these improvement actions. Recommendation: Establish a communications strategy, including well-established processes that proactively reach out to various media platforms.
This will include situational analysis on how KSA communicates with the public, as well as the media habits of various communities/groups in KSA.
Communication engagement with affected population
Include social mobilization and community engagement in the national risk communication strategy, including monitoring and evaluation to ensure effective coordination of efforts. Build a community engagement function for emergency risk communication response from existing health promotion functions in MoH, but processes, structures and content should be based on formal assessments such as population segments, populations at risk, trusted sources of information , language, literacy level and favorites. media channels (social media, mass media, etc.). Community engagement personnel and volunteers should be trained to deploy to the emergency location during emergencies.
Formal testing of materials and messages should become standard practice to ensure effectiveness and acceptance of messages. From the list of Community engagement with affected population recommendations submitted by the WHO assessment team, the Ministry of Health working group selected the following recommendation and developed the next steps needed to actualize these improvement measures. The National Plan sets out who is responsible for the various assessments and activities to be carried out.
Dynamic Listening and Rumour Management
Create a multi-channel, multi-partner system for listening and rumor management that includes targeting of affected populations and a formal mechanism to select rumours/misunderstandings of public health concern and modify communication messages to address them. It is important to work directly with communities through community discussions, using the 937 hotline and involving the RRT and primary health care unit health educators. Furthermore, it is important to analyze toll-free hotline calls to determine demand trends of the population.
Activate communicators/trainers at primary health care level, executive level communicators and the RRTs, to conduct regular focus groups, intercept interviews, message testing, etc. This should be linked to reports of ongoing audience analysis as per the recommendations in the Communication Engagement with the Affected Populations section and support existing activities within primary health care community programs. Recommendation: Activate communicators/educators at primary health care level, directorate level communicators and the RRTs to conduct regular focus groups.
Recommendation: Build a system for listening and rumor management via community discussions and 937 hotline, by analyzing question trends of the population and involving the rapid response teams and primary health care unit health educators.
Conclusion and next steps
Proposed Information/Work Flow for Risk Communication Unit in KSA MoH with preparedness and activation phases
Assessment interviewees and organizations
Riyadh interviewees
Risk Communication Capacity Assessment Tool 1
Assessing National
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Communications coordination
- Is there a designated unit for risk communication?
- Is this unit officially responsible for the coordination of all stakeholders in communications?
- Is there an inventory of the communication capacities of partners and stakeholders?
- Are there written and agreed protocols or SOPs defining the roles and responsibilities of various partners/stakeholders?
- Effective and transparent information dissemination
- Is there a written regulation, policy or guideline on the accurate and timely release of information during a public health emergency/pandemic?
- Is there a designated spokesperson, and back-up, identified for communication during an emergency/pandemic?
- Is there a process in place for expediting approvals for information release?
- Are there procedures in place for clearance by scientific, technical and communications staff before the release of information during an emergency/pandemic?
- Are there procedures or protocols established on the dissemination of information during public health emergencies/a pandemic?
- Listening and understanding public and partner risk perception
- Is there a mechanism in place that ensures that the views and perceptions of individuals and communities affected by public health emergencies/ a pandemic are taken into account at this level?
- Has an assessment of risk perception been carried out?
- Social mobilization and communication in support of community based interventions 1. Have appropriate community messages and information, education and communication materials
- If yes, also for pandemic influenza?
- Have community messages and information, education and communication materials for pandemic influenza been tested and updated as needed?
- Are there established procedures for managing rumours during a public health emergency?
- Is there a plan for communication during a public health emergency in general or pandemic influenza specifically?
- Have pandemic influenza communication plans been tested?
- Communication evaluation
- Is there a framework to evaluate the effectiveness of communications efforts?
- Is there a process that allows for the testing of communication strategies and activities with representative target audiences?
- Was an evaluation of the effectiveness of communications carried out after the last public health emergency?
- How are evaluations findings integrated into the broader emergency management system to better identify challenges, and adapt and improve communication strategies (describe)
- Risk Communication Capacity Assessment Tool 2
Is there an inventory of all communication partners, points of contact and stakeholders in the country (government, non-government, private, institutions, etc.). government, non-government, private, institutions, etc.). Are there written and agreed protocols or SOPs that define the roles and responsibilities of different partners/stakeholders? Is there a written regulation, policy or guideline regarding the accurate and timely release of information during a public health emergency/pandemic?
Are there procedures for verification by scientific, technical and communication staff before releasing information during an emergency/pandemic. Are there procedures or protocols in place to disseminate information during a public health emergency/pandemic. Is there a website or website available and accessible to the media and the public to disseminate information.
Is there a mechanism in place to ensure that the views and perceptions of individuals and communities affected by a public health emergency/pandemic are taken into account at this level. If so, is there a process for incorporating this information into the public health emergency/pandemic influenza response decision-making process. Develop appropriate community messages and informational, educational and communication materials for various public health events.
Test and update as necessary community messages and information, education and communication materials about pandemic influenza. Is there a plan for communication during a public health emergency in general or pandemic flu in particular. Determine ways to understand the needs, concerns and attitudes of key audiences and provide this information to the outbreak management team information to the outbreak management team.
Is there a process that allows testing communication strategies and activities with representative target groups? Was an evaluation of the effectiveness of communications conducted during the last public health emergency. Was an evaluation of the effectiveness of communications conducted after the last public health emergency.
Item # Grading/Domain Questions – please provide explanation and examples to each question
Other sources of information
2 Internal and Partner Communication and Coordination 2.1 No coordination platform and
3 Public Communication
Yes No 3.4 There is planned communication. through ongoing engagement and proactive media outreach. including regular media coverage) guided by risk communication best practices and achievements.
4 Communication Engagement with Affected Communities 4.1 No arrangement exists to
Standard practice for developing information education communication (IEC) materials with the involvement of the community and key stakeholders.
