Public information to prepare for chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident

21 October, 2022

This systematic review is highlighted by Evidence Aid. Citation, abatract and a comment from me below.

Public engagement with pre-incident information materials for initial response to a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incident. Citation: Carter H, et al. Recommendations for improving public engagement with pre-incident information materials for initial response to a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incident: A systematic review. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2020;51:101796.

https://evidenceaid.org/resource/public-engagement-with-pre-incident-inf...

'The harms arising from chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incidents might be reduced by providing the public with pre-incident information to improve their preparedness and response. This review looks at the effects of a variety of pre-incident information on public preparedness before CBRN incidents and found that providing educational, pre-incident materials increased preparedness knowledge, behaviour and intentions among the public. The authors provide a set of recommendations on what should be included in pre-incident information, the methods to communicate it and meeting the need for higher intensity pre-incident educational materials. They also point out the need for research into effects over the long-term and assessments of the public’s knowledge and misconceptions about hazardous agents and CBRN disasters in order to improve the design and effectiveness of public information interventions.'

COMMENT(NPW): The above review looks at how to meet the information needs of the general public to improve health outcomes in the event of a disaster. It would also be helpful to understand whether and how it is possible to communicate reliable information to the public that would raise there awareness of the reality of a disaster, and thereby perhaps help prevent it. I did a quick search on "public knowedge about the impact of nuclear war" and found very little on this subject. Can anyone help?

Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Global Coordinator HIFA, www.hifa.org neil@hifa.org

Global Healthcare Information Network: Working in official relations with WHO