Risk Communication and Community Engagement: A Compendium of Case Studies in Times of COVID-19

"Health authorities must recognize RCCE [risk communication and community engagement] as a core public health intervention at the heart of their decision-making for emergency preparedness and response."

This collection of case studies on risk communication and community engagement (‎RCCE)‎ from 18 different country/area level public health partners in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region provides evidence of results achieved and lessons learned since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The compendium details the factors that enabled these good practices to happen, some of the impacts they had, and the challenges or limitations encountered. It is based on dozens of semi-structured interviews with health officials, frontline RCCE practitioners, civil society activists, and academics involved in responding to the pandemic.

The case studies in this compendium are grouped thematically. The first 8 give examples of good practice relating to the 4 core capacities for effective RCCE identified by the WHO Regional Office for Europe:

1. Ensuring transparency and early announcement (Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia);
2. Coordinating public communication (Finland);
3. Listening through two-way communication (Azerbaijan, Ireland); and
4. Selecting effective channels and trusted key influencers (Armenia, Israel, Kazakhstan).

Other case studies look at some of the key issues and challenges that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these were addressed. In the European Region, this pandemic saw efforts to gather and analyse social science evidence and apply it to RCCE strategies and actions. Thus, there are three case studies looking at good practice in the use of behavioural insight (BI) surveys (France, Sweden, Ukraine) and one focusing on the use of expert opinion (United Kingdom, Scotland) to guide RCCE strategy and actions. There are also three case studies on the themes of RCCE in support of preventive measures (Armenia, Russian Federation, Western Balkans), infodemic management (Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan), and inclusive governance/vulnerable groups (case studies from Israel and Kazakhstan, and a short update from Armenia).

At the beginning of each case study is information on: what the case study is about; why it is important; and which on the four core capacities for RCCE it focuses on. Each case study closes with a box highlighting the WHO Regional Office's analysis of the key lessons that can be drawn from it.

On that note, the compendium features a set of overarching RCCE lessons from the pandemic (experiences during the pandemic and recommended actions are delineated for each):

• Lessons for health authorities and partners:
  • RCCE is a public health intervention at the heart of emergency response.
  • RCCE capacities need to be embedded in all phases of the emergency cycle and sustainably funded.
  • RCCE is an expert technical area that needs an evidence-led approach.
  • Communicating uncertainty is central to trust.
  • Communication coordination across government and society reduces confusion and builds trust.
  • Two-way communication and social listening are essential for effective response.
  • RCCE interventions need to be informed by social listening and BI data.
  • Communities need to be at the core of emergency preparedness and response.
  • One-to-one communication between health workers and patients remains of key importance.
  • Managing rumours and misinformation saves lives.
• Lessons learned for WHO:
  • Show leadership on RCCE and fully embed it in the emergency cycle.
  • Establish and build RCCE capacity at country/area level and localise interventions.
  • Recognise that RCCE is evidence based and requires a rigorous technical approach.
  • Enable WHO spokespersons to communicate uncertainty.
  • Celebrate, maintain, and further strengthen WHO's positioning in RCCE and key partnerships.
  • Invest in WHO's capacity to produce RCCE multimedia content.
  • Sustain WHO's tools, systems, and capacities on social listening and BI.
  • Sustain and further strengthen WHO's bottom-up approach to community engagement.
  • Sustain WHO's role in the area of infodemic management.
  • Ensure that internal procedures are "fit for purpose" during emergencies.

In addition to organising over 40 RCCE regional- and country/area-level capacity-building workshops (mostly online) and offering in-country/area technical support, the WHO Regional Office developed a new online interactive RCCE capacity-building platform that will support the development of RCCE plans in the region. Structured around the 4 core capacities leading to trust (see above), the soon-to-be-launched platform will also serve as a repository of practical guidance, tools, and ideas on effective RCCE interventions.