Ep73: Communicating a Pandemic

09/23/21 • 49 min

There are many layers of public health interventions that can reduce the rate of transmission of the novel coronavirus. Social distancing, mask wearing, lockdowns and vaccines each nudge the reproduction number down. But you need all of them working together to make a significant impact, and that means you need the community on board.

In this podcast we discuss the challenges and strategies around communicating public health messages to the public during a time of such high anxiety. Jessica Kaufman is a research fellow in the Vaccine Acceptance, Uptake and Policy Research Team at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute who presented her work to the RACP Congress in May. She outlined the principles and clarity, transparency and consistency that are needed to win the public’s trust when tough social restrictions need to be adhered to.
We also hear an interview with Professor Allen Cheng FRACP, who’s played this game harder than most. As Deputy Chief Health Officer of Victoria, he advised on implementation of the lockdown that brought Melbourne’s second wave to a halt after four long months. If being part of fun police wasn’t enough responsibility, he also co-chaired the COVID-19 Group at the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation which had to weigh up the suitability of the Astrazeneca vaccine as reports of rare side-effects and death were emerging in real time. He describes the fine balance between providing enough information for the public to be able to make informed decisions.

Guests
Dr Jessica Kaufman (Murdoch Children's Research Institute)
Professor Allen Cheng FRACP (Alfred Health; Monash University; ATAGI; TGA)

Production
Written and produced by Mic Cavazzini DPhil. Music courtesy of Free Music Archive includes ‘Passages’ and ‘Snowfall Intro’ by Kai Engel, ‘Become Death’ by Jahzarr. Music licenced from Epidemic Sound includes ‘Sunstorm’ by ELFL. Image licensed from Getty Images.
Feedback on this episode was kindly provided Frank Beard of the RACP COVID-19 Expert Advisory Group, and the members of the Podcast Editorial Group.

Please visit the RACP website for a transcript and supporting references. Fellows of the College can claim CPD credits for listening to the podcast and reading supporting resources.

Guests
Dr Jessica Kaufman (Murdoch Children's Research Institute)
Professor Allen Cheng FRACP (Alfred Health; Monash University; ATAGI; TGA)

Please visit the RACP website for a transcript and supporting references. Fellows of the College can claim CPD credits for listening to the podcast and reading supporting resources.

Previous Episode

Ep72: Modelling a pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to public attention, like never before, the work of public health physicians as well as epidemiologists, statisticians and computer modelers. The crisis also shown how hard it is to take decisions affecting the lives of millions when there is so little evidence to go on. Models of viral spread and interventions to mitigate these have become everyday discussion points, but few people understand how hard these are to put together. In this podcast we share expert talks that were presented at the RACP Congress in April and May. While they precede the latest developments of the delta strain and the National Plan to curb it by increasing vaccination rates, they clarify some of the first principles that go into creating these simulations, and the pressures of giving critical public health advice.

Guests
Professor Michael Baker FAFPHM (University of Otago)
Professor Tony Blakely (Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne)
Professor Jodie McVernon FAFPHM (Director of Epidemiology, Doherty Institute)
Production
Written and produced by Mic Cavazzini DPhil. Music courtesy of FreeMusic Archive includes, ‘Namaste’ by Jason Shaw, ‘Snowfall Intro’ by Kai Engel, ‘Become Death’ by Jahzarr, ‘The Time is Now’ by Borrtex. Music licenced from Epidemic Sound includes ‘Organic Textures’ by Johannes Bornlöf and ‘Sunstorm’ by ELFL. Image licensed from Getty Images.
Feedback on this episode was kindly provided Frank Beard of the RACP COVID-19 Expert Advisory Group, and the following members of the Podcast Editorial Group; Rosalynn Pszczola, Seema Radhakrishnan, Duncan Austin, Sern Wei Yeoh, Paul Cooper, Adrienne Torda, Nele Legge, Keith Ooi, Lisa Mounsey, Marion Leighton, Stella Sarlos and Rhiannon Mellor.

Please visit the RACP website for a transcript and supporting references. Fellows of the College can claim CPD credits for listening to the podcast and reading supporting resources.

Next Episode

Ep74: Saying Sorry- Medical Injury Part 1

Medical injury occurs at a rate of about 12 per cent of admissions, and errors without consequence at a higher rate still. According to Australian and New Zealand guidance documents, disclosure of error “is a patient right, anchored in professional ethics, considered good clinical practice, and is part of the care continuum.” But many practitioners are fearful of the medicolegal consequences of disclosure, or unsure about how to present the details of a challenging episode in care. In this podcast we hear how they can provide victims of adverse healthcare incidents with the comfort they seek.
Guests
Professor Rick Iedema (Director Centre for Team-Based Practice & Learning in Health Care, King’s College London)
Professor Simon Willcock FRACGP (Program Head of Primary Care and Wellbeing at Macquarie University; Clinical Program Head of Primary and Generalist Care, Wellbeing and Diagnostics at MQ Health)
Production
Written and produced by Mic Cavazzini DPhil. Music licenced from Epidemic Sound includes ‘Floating Kite by Tellsonic, ‘April Snow’ by Gavin Luke and ‘Five Below’ by Torii Wolf. Music courtesy of Free Music Archive includes ‘Cherry Blossom’ by Daddy Scrabble, ‘January’ by Kai Engel and ‘Remember the Archer’ by Scott Holmes. Image licensed from Getty Images. Additional voiceovers by Michael Pooley.
Feedback on this episode was kindly provided by the following members of the Podcast Editorial Group; Loryn Einstein, Lisa Mounsey, Rhiannon Mellor, Nele Legge, Sern Wei Yeoh, Joseph Lee, Marion Leighton, Oliver Dillon, Ilana Ginges, Rosalynn Pszczola, Lucy Haggstrom, Paul Cooper, Atif Mohd Slim, Victoria Langton and Ellen Taylor.
Please visit the RACP website for a transcript and supporting references. Fellows of the College can claim CPD credits for listening to the podcast and reading supporting resources.