scholarly journals A case study of the evaluation of a public health intervention

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley Forssman ◽  
Leena Gupta ◽  
Graham Burgess
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Action ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Evaluation Approach ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Health Action

Large public health interventions to control infectious disease outbreaks are common, but rigorous evaluation to improve the quality and effectiveness of these is rarely undertaken. Following a large community-based clinic to prevent a hepatitis A outbreak, a multifaceted and multidisciplinary evaluation was conducted involving consumers, health professionals and industry partners. The results of this evaluation were used to produce practical operational guidelines for the planning and conduct of future interventions. These guidelines have been distributed to all public health units in New South Wales and may be included in the next edition of the NSW Health notifiable diseases manual. The evaluation approach can be applied to all public health interventions across NSW and Australia to assist in the development of operational guidelines, in order to increase the quality of public health action in outbreak prevention.

Emotional determinants of public responses to the risk of epidemics and pandemics: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonis A. Kousoulis ◽  
Mark R. Francis ◽  
Imogen Grant ◽  
Heidi J Larson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Intervention Uptake

Abstract Background Understanding how people’s emotions influence their health decisions and behaviours at a population level is fundamental to designing effective communication strategies and public health interventions for infectious disease outbreaks. This review identifies relevant research to assess the role of emotional determinants and their impact on public responses to the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, specifically in relation to the uptake of public health interventions. Methods A comprehensive systematic review was conducted exploring the differences in public responses by emotion, infection, outcome and region. A basic consensus approach was followed in which emotional stimuli were categorised as being either pleasant or unpleasant, and predisposing people to bivalent behaviour (i.e., approach or withdrawal). All primary research studies published in five global databases between 1988-2019 were eligible for inclusion. Binomial tests (against a test proportion of 0.5 or 50% for each study outcome) were performed using the direction of effect observed in each study, i.e., either favouring or not favouring intervention uptake. Results A total of 75 studies from 28 different nations were eligible for inclusion in the review. A total of 97 correlations were made between 12 emotions, 10 infectious diseases, and the uptake of seven types of public health interventions. Unpleasant emotions were evoked much more often than pleasant following public health risk communications, with fear and anxiety being the most common. Overall, moderate anxiety-related emotions (worry, anxiety, stress, concern) seemed to be much more significant motivators for public action compared to extreme unpleasant emotions (fear, panic, hopelessness, shame), which had a statistically significantly negative effect on the uptake of public health interventions in several cases. Pleasant emotions (empathy, hope) also showed promise as motivators for public health intervention uptake, but more research is needed to corroborate this. Conclusions The results of this review show that the public’s emotional responses to epidemics in the past 30 years have played a clear role in determining how successful the rollout of public health interventions has been. Emotions need to be considered in crisis communications, and these research findings can help inform communications strategies in the evolving context of the COVID-19 pandemic and future infectious disease outbreaks.

scholarly journals If long-term suppression is not possible, how do we minimize mortality for COVID-19 and other emerging infectious disease outbreaks?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Handel ◽  
Joel C. Miller ◽  
Yang Ge ◽  
Isaac Chun-Hai Fung
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Long Time

As COVID-19 continues to spread, public health interventions are crucial to minimize its impact. The most desirable goal is to drive the pathogen quickly to extinction. This generally involves applying interventions as strongly as possible, which worked for SARS, but so far has failed for COVID-19. If fast eradication is not achievable, the next best goal is to delay the spread and minimize cases and burden on the health care system until suitable drugs or vaccines are available. This suppression approach also calls for strong interventions, potentially applied for a long time.

scholarly journals Responding to Cholera Outbreaks in Zimbabwe: Building Resilience over Time – A Critical Review of Article

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-86
Author(s):  
N.P. Sithole Sibanda
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
Peer Review Process ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Public Health Action ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Health Action ◽  
Systemic Violence

This is a critical review of an article based on the experiences of Epidemic Preparedness and Response pillars as they built resilient health systems while responding to various emerging and re-emerging adverse events. The premise of the article is to explore the need and outline advantages of resilient health systems to those responsible for health outcomes at all levels, for effective public health action amidst adverse contexts. The article may be considered as objective and unbiased due to the peer review process. The article was published in a journal that provides a forum for a broad discussion of global health issues that range from systemic violence to infectious disease outbreaks. The article has contributed to literature and provides a basis for achieving resilience, improving public health action and indicates areas for further development of the knowledge base of health systems research. However, it is suggested that the concept of responsiveness be reemphasized and paired with resilience to improve the performance of health systems.

scholarly journals Leveraging Rich Data and Machine Learning to Facilitate Policy Making on Public Health Interventions in Fighting to Contain the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Research Direction ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Short Article ◽  
The World ◽  
Rich Data

<p>This is a short article, focusing on promoting more study on SEIR modeling by leveraging rich data and machine learning. We believe that this is extremely critical as many regions at the country or state/provincial levels have been struggling with their public health intervention policies on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Some recent published papers on mitigation measures show promising SEIR modeling results, which could shred the light for other policymakers at different community levels. We present our perspective on this research direction. Hopefully, we can stimulate more studies and help the world win this “war” against the invisible enemy “coronavirus” sooner rather than later. </p>

scholarly journals Using natural experimental studies to guide public health action: turning the evidence-based medicine paradigm on its head

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ogilvie ◽  
Jean Adams ◽  
Adrian Bauman ◽  
Edward W. Gregg ◽  
Jenna Panter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Natural Experiments ◽  
Public Health Action ◽  
Randomised Study ◽  
Health Action

Despite smaller effect sizes, interventions delivered at population level to prevent non-communicable diseases generally have greater reach, impact and equity than those delivered to high-risk groups. Nevertheless, how to shift population behaviour patterns in this way remains one of the greatest uncertainties for research and policy. Evidence about behaviour change interventions that are easier to evaluate tends to overshadow that for population-wide and system-wide approaches that generate and sustain healthier behaviours. Population health interventions are often implemented as natural experiments, which makes their evaluation more complex and unpredictable than a typical randomised controlled trial (RCT). We discuss the growing importance of evaluating natural experiments and their distinctive contribution to the evidence for public health policy. We contrast the established evidence-based practice pathway, in which RCTs generate ‘definitive’ evidence for particular interventions, with a practice-based evidence pathway in which evaluation can help adjust the compass bearing of existing policy. We propose that intervention studies should focus on reducing critical uncertainties, that non-randomised study designs should be embraced rather than tolerated and that a more nuanced approach to appraising the utility of diverse types of evidence is required. The complex evidence needed to guide public health action is not necessarily the same as that which is needed to provide an unbiased effect size estimate. The practice-based evidence pathway is neither inferior nor merely the best available when all else fails. It is often the only way to generate meaningful evidence to address critical questions about investing in population health interventions.

scholarly journals The role of risk communication in public health interventions. An analysis of risk communication for a community quarantine in Germany to curb the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256113
Author(s):  
Juliane Scholz ◽  
Wibke Wetzker ◽  
Annika Licht ◽  
Rainer Heintzmann ◽  
André Scherag ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Information Level ◽  
Public Health Authorities

Background Separating ill or possibly infectious people from their healthy community is one of the core principles of non-pharmaceutical interventions. However, there is scarce evidence on how to successfully implement quarantine orders. We investigated a community quarantine for an entire village in Germany (Neustadt am Rennsteig, March 2020) with the aim of better understanding the successful implementation of quarantine measures. Methods This cross-sectional survey was conducted in Neustadt am Rennsteig six weeks after the end of a 14-day mandatory community quarantine. The sample size consisted of 562 adults (64% of the community), and the response rate was 295 adults, or 52% (33% of the community). Findings National television was reported as the most important channel of information. Contact with local authorities was very limited, and partners or spouses played a more important role in sharing information. Generally, the self-reported information level was judged to be good (211/289 [73.0%]). The majority of participants (212/289 [73.4%]) approved of the quarantine, and the reported compliance was 217/289 (75.1%). A self-reported higher level of concern as well as a higher level of information correlated positively with both a greater acceptance of quarantine and self-reported compliant behaviour. Interpretation The community quarantine presented a rare opportunity to investigate a public health intervention for an entire community. In order to improve the implementation of public health interventions, public health risk communication activities should be intensified to increase both the information level (potentially leading to better compliance with community quarantine) and the communication level (to facilitate rapport and trust between public health authorities and their communities).

COVID-19 Australia: Epidemiology Report 28: Fortnightly reporting period ending 25 October 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Downward Trend ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Daily Average ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Case Count

Nationally, there was a continuing downward trend in notifications of COVID-19. The daily average number of cases for this reporting period was 13 compared to an average of 18 cases per day in the previous fortnight. There were 176 cases of COVID-19 and 7 deaths this fortnight, bringing the cumulative case count to 27,582 and 905 deaths. New South Wales reported the highest proportion of cases this fortnight (42%; 74/176), the majority of which were overseas acquired (52). Locally-acquired cases accounted for 31% (54/176) of all cases reported this fortnight. While the majority of these were reported from Victoria (33/54), there continues to be a decrease in new cases in this state resulting from public health interventions. Testing rates increased during the reporting period and remain high overall at 10.3 tests per week per 1,000 persons. There was variability in the testing rate by jurisdiction, with testing rates depending on the epidemic context. The overall positivity rate for the reporting period was 0.05%, with Western Australia reporting a positivity rate of 0.21% for this reporting period. In all other jurisdictions the positivity rate was ≤ 0.06%.

Infectious Diseases After Tsunami Aceh (Indonesia) Experience

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 754-758
Author(s):  
Nasronudin ◽  
◽  
Juniastuti ◽  
Retno H. Oktamia ◽  
Maria I. Lusida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Upper Respiratory Infection ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Medical Needs ◽  
Laboratory Capacity

An earthquake of magnitude 9 on the Richter scale followed by a tsunami devastated large swaths of northern Indonesia within minutes on December 26, 2004. The response to this disaster has been a rapid, national and international co-coordinated effort. Combined teams were multidisciplinary, consisting of health workers such as surgeons, anesthetiststraumatologists, emergency primary care workers, nurses, microbiologists and laboratory technicians, public health physicians, very importantly logisticians, and others. The need for critical clinical care was greatest in the first 1-2 weeks, then it quickly declined. After the initial crisis period, needs quickly changed to reestablishing public health care with an emphasis on Sphere standards such as promoting access to clean water, good sanitation, adequate nutrition and access to health workers for treatment and control of common conditions such as diarrhea, malaria, and respiratory diseases. The introduction of immunization programs for diseases to victims in vulnerable location was also an important public health intervention. No major disease outbreaks occurred following the Aceh tsunami. This was in part because of most of the displaced population settled into many small places/areas with at least rudimentary sanitation. No large camps that would support the rapid spread of disease were built. There were, however, still many diseases with epidemic potential found in tsunami-affected areas. In Aceh, the rate of diarrhea as a disease of immediate concern was 16%. Acute upper respiratory infection and pneumonia as diseases related to over-crowding were found to be 21%, 20% and 3%, respectively. The number of persons with malaria as a disease posing threats in the first month was no greater (4%) than previously, because there was an established-large vector control project. Proper national and international coordination and total health response considering public health, laboratory capacity and medical needs are important lessons to learn for anticipating the possibility of infectious disease outbreaks following the tsunami in Aceh.

scholarly journals Adapting Syndromic Surveillance Baselines After Public Health Interventions

2020 ◽  
Vol 135 (6) ◽  
pp. 737-745
Author(s):  
Roger Antony Morbey ◽  
Alex James Elliot ◽  
Gillian Elizabeth Smith ◽  
Andre Charlett
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Step Change ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Rotavirus Vaccine ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Before And After

Background Public health surveillance requires historical baselines to identify unusual activity. However, these baselines require adjustment after public health interventions. We describe an example of such an adjustment after the introduction of rotavirus vaccine in England in July 2013. Methods We retrospectively measured the magnitude of differences between baselines and observed counts (residuals) before and after the introduction of a public health intervention, the introduction of a rotavirus vaccine in July 2013. We considered gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and vomiting to be indicators for national syndromic surveillance, including telephone calls to a telehealth system, emergency department visits, and unscheduled consultations with general practitioners. The start of the preintervention period varied depending on the availability of surveillance data: June 2005 for telehealth, November 2009 for emergency departments, and July 2010 for general practitioner data. The postintervention period was July 2013 to the second quarter of 2016. We then determined whether baselines incorporating a step-change reduction or a change in seasonality resulted in more accurate models of activity. Results Residuals in the unadjusted baseline models increased by 42%-198% from preintervention to postintervention. Increases in residuals for vomiting indicators were 19%-44% higher than for diarrhea. Both step-change and seasonality adjustments improved the surveillance models; we found the greatest reduction in residuals in seasonally adjusted models (4%-75%). Conclusion Our results demonstrated the importance of adjusting surveillance baselines after public health interventions, particularly accounting for changes in seasonality. Adjusted baselines produced more representative expected values than did unadjusted baselines, resulting in fewer false alarms and a greater likelihood of detecting public health threats.

Plague and trade in Lagos, 1924–1931

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olukayode A. Faleye
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Economic Policy ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Historical Study ◽  
Maritime Trade ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
The Third

The literature on the Third Plague Pandemic in West Africa focuses on urbanisation and disease processes in colonial Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria. Consequently, there is a dearth of historical study of the relational complexities between public health interventions and maritime trade during the outbreak in the region. It is with this in mind that this article examines the historical effects of plague control on internal commerce and international maritime trade in Lagos from 1924 to 1931. The study is based on the historical analysis of colonial administrative, sanitary and medical records as well as newspaper reports. It concludes that the nature of colonial public health intervention was determined by economic policy preferences that impacted distinctively on internal commerce and international maritime trade in Lagos.

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