Implementing Public Health Strategies—The Need for Educational Initiatives: A Systematic Review

Abstract

In the absence of a specific treatment or vaccines, public health strategies are the main measures to use in the initial stages of a pandemic to allow surveillance of infectious diseases. During the ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), several countries initiated various public health strategies, such as contact tracing and quarantine. The present study aims to conduct a systematic literature review to identify the presence of educational initiatives that promote the implementation of public health strategies before public health emergencies, with a special focus on contact tracing applications. Using Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, and Gothenburg University search engines, all published scientific articles were included, while conference, reports, and non-scientific papers were excluded. The outcomes of the reviewed studies indicate that the effective implementation of public health strategies depends on the peoples’ willingness to participate and collaborate with local authorities. Several factors may influence such willingness, of which ethical, psychological, and practical factors seem to be the most important and frequently discussed. Moreover, individual willingness and readiness of a community may also vary based on the acquired level of knowledge about the incident and its cause and available management options. Educational initiatives, proper communication, and timely information at the community level were found to be the necessary steps to counteract misinformation and to promote a successful implementation of public health strategies and attenuate the effects of a pandemic. The systematic review conducted as a part of this study would benefit the relevant stakeholders and policy makers and assist with effective designing and implementation.

Big Data for Biomedical Education with a Focus on the COVID-19 Era: An Integrative Review of the Literature

“…Many hospitals and health facilities have been overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases, with the infectious agent imposing a considerable stress and strain on the system, worldwide. This has impacted as well learning and teaching, disrupting the educational system due to the implementation of NPIs such as social distancing [52][53][54][55][56].…”

Appraisal of a Contact Tracing Training Program for COVID-19 in Greece Focusing on Vulnerable Populations

“…Contact tracing is a critical pillar required for a robust and effective COVID-19 response, coupled with vaccination campaigns, social distancing, use of masks, robust screening and diagnostic testing, access to treatment services and social and financial support needed for self-isolation and quarantine of positive cases and their close contacts [9] [20,21]. Trust in public health authorities and structures, health literacy and the ability of people to self-isolate or fully quarantine all have a direct impact on its effectiveness [22][23][24].…”

Public Health Leadership and Its Impact on Global Crises, Ethnic and Racial Inequity and Inequality in Health

“…This health literacy is consistently associated with several factors such as education, ethnicity and age. The lack of skills necessary to understand and manage their health does not allow active participation of these vulnerable groups in disease prevention programs [5].…”

“…The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has been a valuable test for the governing bodies and has emphasized the significance of public health as a unique specialty and its leading role in appearing public health emergencies [6]. However, the current situation has also highlighted the significant role that a political and economic will may play in management of a global situation, when major public health decisions have frequently been highjacked by politics and economic demands [1,4,5]. In some countries, both economic and political leaders at state and national levels subsumed the leadership of public health decisions from the start, with many public health experts summarily being ignored, dismissed, or completely disregarded [3,4].…”

“…It is evident that global public health emergencies will become more frequent in the future with accelerating climate changes, rapid urbanization, scarcities in food, water and energy resources, and deforestation to name but a few. These adversely influence all vulnerable groups, their rights, and the equity and equality in healthcare and demand public health professionals with focus on excellent communication and leadership skills [3] To fulfil their tasks, they require unmitigated authority to manage public health crises using improved quality of data, data analysis, forecasting, and infrastructure improvement, a strong focus on mitigating community-wide inequalities in race and sexual orientation and improved community resilience to move successfully through all phases of future pandemic and global public health challenges [3][4][5].…”