Communication System

Building Under GAP

John Parrish-Sprowl, PhD

Global Health

Communication Center

Indiana University

School of Liberal Arts

IUPUI Campus

Indianapolis, IN USA

johparri@iupui.edu

GAP for Influenza Vaccines

Vaccine coverage has

never been sufficient

without either a

government mandate or

an effort to convince

people of the value of

immunization

Communication Strategy

A well-conceived and executed communication strategy can create the

cooperation, collaboration, and connectivity necessary to establish a

system of vaccine production, distribution, and delivery that is both efficient and

effective. In addition, it can inspire trust in the entire process, from the factory, to the

clinic, to the public, resulting in an increase in vaccination coverage.

Creating and disseminating a message

is not a strategy-It is wishful thinking

• Meta analysis indicate that one message rarely fits all people

• Trust is as much a feeling as it is a decision-slogans and information rarely induce it

• Collaboration and cooperation are dialogic and necessary for effective communication

We need more than information and

slogans

• Confidence and trust

are nurtured and

earned, needing

constant renewal,

especially in the face of

adverse events

• How we talk with

people may well be

more important than

what we say

Communication: So much more than

the transfer of information

A growing body of research tells us

that communication:

• Plays a role in creating and

shaping brain structure

• Impact at the epigenetic level and

may induce DNA repair

• Can impact immune function

• Is systemic both within and

outside of the body

• Flows through people, playing a

role in shaping individual biology,

relationships, and communities

• Can change reactivity to

receptivity or do the opposite

Moving beyond the simple to

Communication Complex:

Means developing

strategy that shifts our

focus to embrace the

complexity of living in a

bioactive communication

ecology

GAP Communication strategy shifts

perspective from:

Talking at… to… Talking with…

It is not just about a message based

campaign, but about a systemic

conversation

• We need a systemic plan that intertwines and tracks both electronic and face-to-face interaction from vaccine production to post immunization commentary

• We need to have a strategy that accounts for emotions, position shifts, and changes in participation in the public conversations

GAP Communication focuses on more

than just the public

• Production and

distribution play a role

in building and maintain

trust in vaccines

• HCWs need to be fully

confident that the

vaccines are safe,

effective, and necessary

China in the GAP

• Background

• 2013-workshop in Atlanta established a complex framework for GAP communication strategy

• 2014-China sent participants to the WPRO GAP workshop on communication capacity building

• 2015-Participants from the WPRO workshop requested a similar workshop to expand communication complex capacity in China

• 2016-China called for another workshop to engage communication complex

• developed strategy in response to the illegal vaccine issue in Shandong Province

• Engagement in GAP Activities• 2015-Presentation of the communication strategy

prepared by the China CDC for the roll out of IV polio vaccine; a panel of experts from WHO were asked to provide input regarding the strategy; by request, based on WPRO workshop experience, three days of training for personnel from the China CDC (central and provincial level) were conducted by WHO and a consultant focused on the development of communication strategy to sustain vaccinations based on a communication complex approach.

• 2016-Three day workshop conducted by WHO and a consultant focused on communication strategy in response to concerns raised by the revelation of illegal and ineffective vaccines being dispensed

China in the GAP

• Lessons Learned � Trust, in both vaccines and health care

systems, is critical to increasing vaccination.

� Communication skills that reduce reactivity and increase receptivity are critical for emotion management and building trust, especially in a crisis situation.

� The Chinese experience demonstrates why communication strategy must consider the entire system, from manufacture to the jab. Trust in the system was imperiled by illegal actions in distribution, but the response needed to be more holistic (systemic), reestablishing trust throughout, including both health care workers and the public.

GAP Communication Strategy for

Vaccines

• Shift strategic framework from message based campaign to systemic conversation management

• Focus on how we talk with people at least as much as on what we say

• Training is essential for those (especially HCP) who have face2face access to people

• Create a proactive social media conversational strategy that works with face2face strategy

• Monitor conversational trajectory, not simply response to a message

• Traditional media shifts from primary tool to support for conversational formats

Participant Response to GAP

Communication Activities

• A survey was developed and sent to each of the participants from the WPRO and SEARO workshops in 2016. Responses indicates that:

• All participants gained new knowledge and skills in communication

• The majority agreed that the workshop had influenced the development of vaccine communication strategy in their country

• In both the survey and in open-ended comments, participants indicated they wanted to learn more about communication complex.

• Based on participant response, capacity for the development of more complex communication strategy was increased; at the same time, participants want to develop greater knowledge and skills, creating the potential for continuous improvement.

GAP Communication Strategy for

Vaccines-Implications• GAP communication capacity building activities were well

received and had impact on country strategy. This effort should be continued through support for:

• training in communication complex and strategy development in more countries

• creating training that builds depth and breadth of skills and knowledge

• creating supporting documents, materials, toolkits, etc. that enable continuous learning and sustainable performance

• establishing robust M & E in communication strategy to create a continuous improvement loop in all aspects

Communication System

Building Under GAP

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!

John Parrish-Sprowl, PhD

Global Health Communication Center

Indiana University

School of Liberal Arts

IUPUI Campus

Indianapolis, IN USA

johparri@iupui.edu