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Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken significant steps to address the long-term effects of COVID-19, known as “Long COVID.” These actions include establishing advisory committees, forming offices dedicated to Long COVID research and practice, and providing technical guidance for evaluating disabilities related to Long COVID. HHS has also delivered comprehensive reports to the President outlining support services and research strategies. These efforts, in collaboration with various federal agencies, aim to assist individuals in living independently and participating in their communities while dealing with the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. Numerous resources, such as guides, civil rights protections, and workplace accommodations, have been made available to support those affected by Long COVID.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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White Paper/Brief
This article explores the challenges of communicating public health guidance during a pandemic, focusing on the example of mask recommendations in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. It underscores the ethical dilemmas faced by public health officials in balancing transparency with evolving scientific knowledge and resource shortages. Initially, there was hesitation in recommending masks for the general public due to concerns about mask shortages, leading to mixed messaging. As evidence supporting mask effectiveness grew, guidance shifted to advocating universal mask use, contributing to public confusion and mistrust. The article underscores two key ethical principles: the precautionary principle, advocating for protective action in uncertain situations, and harm reduction, emphasizing minimizing harm when complete risk elimination is unfeasible. It also highlights the importance of transparent communication but acknowledges that excessive transparency can sometimes cause confusion and mistrust. To enhance public health communication during uncertainty and resource scarcity, the article recommends utilizing trusted messengers, structuring uncertainty, acknowledging the role of values in recommendations, and recognizing emotional responses to risk information.
Best Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes when implemented in multiple real-life settings, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities.
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Book
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the vital role of public health but also revealed communication challenges and misconceptions about the field. This book, published by de Beaumont Foundation, details evidence-based best practices for talking about the what public health is and why it matters. It offers tools for more impactful communication, practical insights, and guidance for how public health practitioners can strengthen community partnerships. The book encourages a shift in the perception of public health professionals as bureaucratic specialists and emphasizes the need for better communication and partnerships to address future public health challenges.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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Toolkit
This worksheet offers a user guide to developing and disseminating messages about public health’s importance and successes. It is a short resource developed by the Illinois Strategic Communication Leadership Project, intended to help users organize thinking and identify themes. It offers a few examples of overarching messages concerning the importance of public health as a field.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
This resource discusses the importance of health communication, especially during crises like pandemics. It covers various aspects of health communication, including its definition, strategies for effective campaigns, types of health communication, and relevant communication theories. Public health professionals use health communication to educate, advocate, and address health issues, making it a crucial field in promoting public well-being.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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White Paper/Brief
The 2019 call for papers on “Taboos in Health Communication: Stigma, Silence, and Voice” coincided with the emergence of COVID-19, which drastically transformed the world. This pandemic, with over 235 million cases and nearly 5 million deaths by October 2021, not only had severe health consequences but also led to economic and social crises, including increased domestic violence and mental health issues. It pushed health communication and public relations to the forefront of crisis management, overshadowing other health concerns. This shift highlighted the importance of addressing taboos, stigmas, and silences, particularly in areas like mental and reproductive health, maternal health, and vaccination efforts. The special issue explores how public relations and health communication influence public discourse and societal norms, challenging established assumptions and power dynamics in a COVID-19-dominated world. It acknowledges the historically limited connection between public health and public relations and calls for addressing cultural taboos and stigmas. The issue advocates for applying critical theory in health communication and promoting an interdisciplinary approach to address these challenges, with the ultimate goal of integrating public relations insights into broader socio-cultural, political, and economic discussions in the post-pandemic era.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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Video
This 25-minute video from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health offers insights and lessons learned from public health practitioners who leveraged social media to communicate with broad audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers actionable tips on how to identify messages, audiences, and formats. Guidance on style and messaging decisions will help refine quick-hit online messages for the broader public.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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Other
The article discusses the challenges and frustrations surrounding Long COVID research in the United States. Despite substantial investments and numerous research efforts, progress in understanding and treating Long COVID has been slow and disappointing. Experts and patient advocates have criticized the research community for its focus on disease development rather than direct patient care, duplication of studies, and a lack of clinical trials. The authors propose a new hypothesis that Long COVID may be a form of post-infectious syndrome or chronic fatigue syndrome, suggesting that traditional biomedical research approaches may not yield meaningful results. Instead, they advocate for a shift towards health services research and measures that directly impact patients’ welfare, including prevention, improved prognosis, access to empathetic care, and quality of life issues. They emphasize the need for collaboration between researchers, patients, and advocacy groups to reset the research agenda effectively.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
This document provides guidance on conducting after-action reviews (AARs) of the public health response to COVID-19. It offers a methodological approach that combines interactive workshops and interviews and includes practical implementation tools. The document builds upon previous ECDC guidance and aims to support countries in designing AARs for the response to COVID-19. AARs help review actions taken during a public health event, identify best practices and areas for improvement, and contribute to continuous quality improvement in emergency preparedness and response planning. The guidance is adaptable for national and sub-national contexts and targets public health experts from EU/EEA Member States, EU candidate and potential candidate countries, and European Neighbourhood Policy countries.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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Peer Review Study
This study conducted interviews with public health professionals from local and state health departments to understand their experiences in providing comprehensive COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing with refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities. The research identified six themes related to promising practices, including understanding the community and public health context, cultivating relationships, ensuring linguistic and cultural concordance, communicating intentionally, evolving response strategies, and implementing equity measures. These findings aim to inform proactive, community-engaged solutions for public health organizations working with these communities during public health crises, such as COVID-19, to improve collaborations and staff wellbeing.