Implications of the current COVID-19 pandemic for communication in healthcare

Strict isolation requires a different approach to the family of hospitalised patients with COVID-19: A rapid qualitative study

“…Indeed, studies revealed that hospital nurses hardly use devices and technology ( Jongerden et al., 2019 ), and they do not feel competent using technology ( van Houwelingen et al., 2016 ). Apart from the virtual conversation that already demands new skills, the pressure of explaining a rapidly changing reality, clarifying decisions in situations of scarce resources and supporting emotional conversations between a patient and his family by video calls, are new as well ( Rubinelli et al., 2020 ). To overcome this barrier, communication training is strongly advised ( Rubinelli et al., 2020 , Back et al., 2020 ).…”

“…Apart from the virtual conversation that already demands new skills, the pressure of explaining a rapidly changing reality, clarifying decisions in situations of scarce resources and supporting emotional conversations between a patient and his family by video calls, are new as well ( Rubinelli et al., 2020 ). To overcome this barrier, communication training is strongly advised ( Rubinelli et al., 2020 , Back et al., 2020 ). Instructions and tools to support the communication between healthcare professionals, patients and their families using telecommunications have been recently published ( Flint and Kotwal, 2020 , Calton et al., 2020 , Negro et al., 2020 ) and can be used to develop local protocols.…”

Trust and Communication: Responding to Uncertainty

“…One major aspect to consider is the negative impact of misinformation on behavior change by suggesting suboptimal actions or spreading information inconsistent with the views of health institutions” . ( 1 )…”

Future Proofing Applied Epidemiology Workforce Training for Emergency Response. A Global Survey of Applied Epidemiologists, 2019-2020

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that communication skills are vital to connect with the public and successfully implement control measures. (26)(27)(28) Communication skills have numerous applications, such as communicating risk to the target population, and designing messages that will support decision makers to implement control measures. As the applied epidemiology de nition by Thacker and Bu ngton(6) states, applied epidemiology is about "transforming ndings to policy and action", and as one of the respondents wrote, "it is not just about collecting data but it is about in uencing others with the story".…”