Risk communication

• Risk


  A measure of the probability and severity of adverse effects
• Risk


  • How likely is it that an adverse event will occur
  • If an adverse event occurs, how dire will the consequences be
• Many risk management decisions made by governments globally during the Covid-19 pandemic

  
• New risk, less known risk during the Covid-19 pandemic

  
• Recent pandemic history not available (except in countries with SARS/MERS/EBOLA)
• Research using the principles of risk perception estimation, risk information and effective risk communication can help make risk management decisions during a pandemic
• Risk perception


  Ability to discern a certain level of risk and involves a subjective judgement about risk characteristics, risk occurrence probability/consequences, and risk severity
• Risk tolerance


  Capacity to accept a certain level of risk
• Risk response


  Both cognitive and emotional and attenuated by perceived benefit/value
• Factors affecting risk perception and judgements about risk

  • Voluntariness
  • Controllability
  • Reversibility
  • Knowledge about risk
  • Familiarity
  • Trust in institutions
  • Personal stake
  • Equity
  • Ethical/moral nature
  • Benefits
• Factors influencing risk perception and tolerance


  • Macro (safety culture, regulatory enforcement)
  • Meso (influence of peers, influence of significant others)
  • Micro (knowledge, self-perception of knowledge, personality)

  
• Individual factors influencing risk perception and tolerance


  • Gender
  • Ethnicity
  • Education
  • Personality
• Past experiences can influence risk perception and tolerance
• Research shows different results on risk perception and tolerance across countries
• Structural racism can influence risk perception and experience during a pandemic
• Heuristics


  Mental shortcuts that maximize benefit but can lead to biases
• Heuristics that can lead to biases


  • Representativeness
  • Availability
  • Anchoring and adjustment
  • Overconfidence
  • Intuition
  • Belief perseverance
• Affect heuristic


  Feelings can influence risk perceptions, e.g. positive feelings can lead to lower perceptions of risk and higher perceived benefits
• Health Belief Model


  • Perceived susceptibility
  • Perceived severity
  • Perceived benefits
  • Perceived barriers
  • Cues to action
  • Self-efficacy
• Protection Motivation Theory


  • Threat appraisal (perceived severity and susceptibility)
  • Coping appraisal (self-efficacy, response efficacy)
• Extended Parallel Process Model


  • Danger control (control the threat with an action)
  • Fear control (suppress the message, reduce fear, avoid action)
• Risk Perception Attitude Framework


  • Risk perception
  • Self-efficacy
  • Fear control
  • Danger control
• Many stakeholders involved in risk communication about medicines
• Medicines are a life-saving commodity and communication about them is common and a subject of fiction and arts
• What is in your medicine cabinet reflects the socialization of medicine
• Stakeholders

  Multi-factorial influences
• Medicine is a life saving commodity
• Communication about medications is common