Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40085849›Full record

SynthesisJMIR infodemiology2025

Experiences of Public Health Professionals Regarding Crisis Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.

Tsuyoshi Okuhara, Marina Terada, Hiroko Okada, Rie Yokota, Takahiro Kiuchi

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in JMIR infodemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Tsuyoshi OkuharaDepartment of Health Communication, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-6251-3587
Marina TeradaDepartment of Health Communication, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-6087-1807
Hiroko OkadaDepartment of Health Communication, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID 0000-0001-7877-9753
Rie YokotaDepartment of Medical Communication, Hoshi University, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-1973-2493
Takahiro KiuchiDepartment of Health Communication, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID 0000-0001-5934-0681

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic emerged in the digital age and has been called the first "data-driven pandemic" in human history. The global response demonstrated that many countries had failed to effectively prepare for such an event. Learning through experience in a crisis is one way to improve the crisis management process. As the world has returned to normal after the pandemic, questions about crisis management have been raised in several countries and require careful consideration.

objectiveThis review aimed to collect and organize public health professionals' experiences in crisis communication to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

methodsWe searched PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and Communication Abstracts in February 2024 to locate English-language articles that qualitatively investigated the difficulties and needs experienced by health professionals in their communication activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

resultsThis review included 17 studies. Our analysis identified 7 themes and 20 subthemes. The 7 themes were difficulties in pandemic communication, difficulties caused by the "infodemic," difficulties in partnerships within or outside of public health, difficulties in community engagement, difficulties in effective communication, burnout among communicators, and the need to train communication specialists and establish a permanent organization specializing in communication.

conclusionsThis review identified the gaps between existing crisis communication guidelines and real-world crisis communication in the digital environment and clarified the difficulties and needs that arose from these gaps. Crisis communication strategies and guidelines should be updated with reference to the themes revealed in this review to effectively respond to subsequent public health crises.

trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42024528975; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=528975. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/58040.

Indexed as

CommunicationCOVID-19Health PersonnelPublic HealthHumansPandemicsQualitative ResearchSARS-CoV-2COVID-19crisis communicationdigital agedigital healthdisinformationeHealthgovernmenthealth communicationhealth professionalinfectiousinfodemicinternetmedical informaticsmisinformationpandemicpublic healthqualitativeSARS-CoV-2social mediasystematic review

Identifiers

PMID40085849
PMCPMC11953600

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.