[Communicating Risk in Public Health Emergencies: A WHO Guideline for Emergency Risk Communication (Erc) Policy and Practice].

BACKGROUND: Risk communication in public health emergencies is an essential part of any emergency response. AIM: The World Health Organization (WHO) aims to provide WHO Member States, partners and stakeholders involved in emergency preparedness and response structures evidence-based, up-to-date, system-focused guidance.
METHODS: Guideline development followed WHO standards.
RESULTS: These guidelines give recommendations in the following areas: (1) approaches for building trust and engaging with communities and affected populations, (2) approaches for integrating risk communication into existing national and local emergency preparedness and response-structures, and (3) planning, conducting, and evaluating emergency risk communication in practice.
CONCLUSION: Specific step-by-step instructions are beyond the remit of these recommendations. These will be provided by WHO in other formats in the future. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.