Medical Forum - The Rise of Public Health

An important aspect to public health is clearly and concisely communicating risk to change behaviour, which may sound simple yet is anything but, particularly within the ever-changing environment of a pandemic.

“It does take a bit of time for knowledge to filter through to the general public and as soon as it does, things change. The real challenge of the pandemic is just how quickly things are changing [and our understanding of COVID-19] so information can go out of date so quickly, Dr Carissa Bonner explained to Medical Forum.

Dr Bonner is a behavioural scientist and research fellow at The University of Sydney who specialises in evidence-based decision making and risk communication strategies to address problems in public health.

Although the understanding of COVID-19 is still growing, there are some knowns that are stable, and it is these aspects which are important to convey continually to the public, according to Dr Bonner.

“We know that the threat is real and that can be a consistent message. We know the main ways to prevent [transmission] have not really changed: social distancing, basic hygiene, and handwashing. And now, in Australia, the really important thing for people to know is when and where to get tested so that we can keep it under control.

“Although the evidence is changing all the time, the basic messages we need to convey are quite consistent, which is something that all levels of government can do consistently.”