TY  - JOUR
A1  - Dickmann, Petra
A1  - Apfel, Franklin J.
A1  - Gottschalk, René
T1  - Risk communication and generic preparedness: from agent-based to action-based planning - a conceptual framework
T2  - British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research
N2  - Responses to recent infectious disease outbreaks, such as to Influenza Pandemic 2009 and the on-going Ebola outbreak in West Africa, reveal the need for new and strengthened approaches to risk communication and governance. The article argues for a fundamental re-conceptualisation of current approaches to risk communication, preparedness planning and response. It calls for a reframing of the way we currently identify and respond to outbreaks around a set of core behaviour-based response patterns. This new model moves away from the current risk communication focus on a plethora of agent-specific threats to five generic response patterns that are based on socially relevant response activities such as 1) controlling vectors, 2) enhancing hygiene, 3) isolation of the sick, 4) protection of the well, and 5) systemic protection of people and their environments. Emphasis is placed on gaining relevant insights into the context specific needs of different communities related to these five patterns. Governance structures are then built and evaluated based on their capacity to collect, communicate, share and prepare the public to take appropriate action related to the five different patterns before, during and after an event. Reframing risk communication and preparedness approaches around a better understanding of the determinants of these general behavioural patterns in infectious control could strengthen infection control literacy, response competence and build resilience of both individuals and health systems to address future epidemics, pandemics and other public health threats.
KW  - governance
KW  - risk communication
KW  - generic preparedness
KW  - pandemic preparedness
KW  - influenza pandemic
KW  - public health.
Y1  - 2016
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/40343
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-403431
SN  - 2231-0614
N1  - © 2016 Dickmann et al.; This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
VL  - 13
IS  - 10, Article no.BJMMR.24033
SP  - 1
EP  - 5
PB  - Sciencedomain International
CY  - London [u.a.]
ER  -