Risk Communications and Community Engagement in Health Emergencies - 2024

Introduction:
The "Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE)" course responds to the technical cooperation provided by PAHO/WHO to its Member States, as part of efforts to update and strengthen risk communication systems in preparedness, mitigation, and response to health emergencies. It utilizes materials developed by PAHO/WHO, UN agencies, and other internationally recognized academic organizations and authors. This course lays the groundwork for understanding the importance of risk communication in responding to health emergencies through the application of strategies that empower communities.

Purpose of the course:
Expanding on the previously mentioned, the goal of the course is for participants to recognize the importance of risk communication as a capability on par with epidemiology and provision of healthcare, through the application of strategies that minimize risks and empower communities to make evidence-based decisions to preserve their health and lives.
Specifically, three (3) key objectives are pursued:

1. By the end of the course, participants will understand the concept of Risk Communication, identifying its basic components and guiding principles for best practices in its development, especially during health    emergencies.
2. Participants will employ skills and tools to communicate risks in a timely manner to target audiences and key stakeholders during health emergencies.
3. Participants will utilize consistent planning processes for communicational response throughout the phases of emergency management, which include preparation, mitigation, and response to multiple threats.

Competencies:
The course provides an opportunity for public health workers to develop competencies related to risk communication and community engagement strategies in health emergencies and to gain theoretical knowledge of technical concepts that underpin risk communication as a fundamental capacity of the International Health Regulations (2005).

Learning objectives:
Throughout the course, participants are expected to achieve the following:

• Understand the basic concepts, purposes, and principles of risk communication in the context of preparedness, mitigation, and response to public health emergencies.
• Manage the challenge of transparency in risk communication during emergencies.
• Explore complex issues related to coordinating communication among different stakeholders.
• Determine appropriate risk communication strategies for addressing various scales and orientations in risk perception, interests, and concerns to strengthen community engagement.
• Develop effective risk communication strategies and plans in response to the demands of health emergencies.

Target Audience:
The intended audience includes health authorities, officials designated as spokespersons, and communication professionals who may fulfill a role in the preparation and response to health emergencies.
The recommended participant profile for this course includes:

• Health authorities and decision-makers
• Communication professionals
• Technical and operational staff from central-level Ministries of Health and regional authorities
• Community leaders
• Technical and operational staff from key public, private, and social institutions/organizations involved in planning and responding to health emergencies and disasters
• Anyone interested in risk communication.

Duration and Commitment:
The course is open and available on the VCPH. As it is a self-paced course, participants can select modules and lessons at their own pace. It is estimated that the time required to complete the seven modules of the course and associated exercises is 7 hours.

Teaching Strategies:

Self-paced, free, open to the public, and self-administered course. The course is conducted online, on the Moodle virtual education platform of the PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH).

The modules feature various educational materials such as audiovisual presentations, reading documents, maps, and practical activities.

Course Structure:
The course consists of seven learning modules. The contents are developed as detailed below:

Section 1: Introduction to Risk Communication

Module 1: Risk Communication: Concepts and Principles

Content:

• Context of health emergencies and challenges for Risk Communication.
• The International Health Regulations (IHR) and Risk Communication and Community Engagement as a core capacity.
• Evolution of risk communication.
• Basic concepts and principles of Risk Communication.
• Risk and risk perception.

Section 2: Risk Communication and Community Engagement

Module 2: Coordination with partners and allies

Content:

• The importance of coordination in health emergencies and the involvement of partners and allies.
• Partner and ally mapping and principles of collaborative work.

Module 3: Adapting Communication: Social Listening

Content:

• Concepts and importance of social listening.
• Mechanisms of social listening, integrating perceptions into the response.
• Engaging and empowering communities.

Module 4: Introduction to Infodemic Management Content:

• Concepts of infodemic and its public health implications.
• Infodemic management in a health emergency.
• Designing people-centered interventions for infodemic management.

Module 5: Public Communication during Health Emergencies
Content:

• Challenges of Risk Communication in public communication.
• Tailoring science according to audiences.
• Types of information to use in messages.
• Principles and steps for developing effective messages.
• Crafting a message map.

Módulo 6: Community Engagement
Content:

• Concept of community and community engagement.
• Principles y pillars of community engagement and empowerment.

Module 7: Strategic Planning for Risk Communication
Content:

• Develop a Risk Communication system.
• Develop a Multi-Threat Risk Communication Strategy.