Managing Infodemics In The 21st Century

This open access book on infodemic management reviews the current discussions about this evolving area of public health from a variety of perspectives. Infodemic management is an evidence-based practice underpinned by the science of infodemiology that offers guidance to better manage pandemic and epidemic risks and more quickly tackle new and resurgent health threats. Infodemic management has added much visibility and recognition for the importance of social-behavioural sciences, health communication, participatory and human-centered approaches, and digital health as complementary scientific and practical approaches that also must be strengthened in public health practice through a whole-of-society and whole information ecosystem approach. This volume makes a case that health of the information ecosystem in the digital age has emerged as the fourth ecosystem that public health is challenged by, along with the triad of environment-human-animal health. The book brings together scientists and practitioners across disciplines to offer insights on infodemic management. The tools, methods, analytics, and interventions that they discuss in the context of acute health events also can be applied to other public health areas. Topics covered include: People's Experience of Information Overload and Its Impact on Infodemic Harms Smart Health! Expanding the Need for New Literacies To Debunk or Not to Debunk? Correcting (Mis)information Partnering with Communities for Effective Management of Health Emergencies Managing Infodemics in the 21st Century is required reading for public health practitioners in need of an overview of this evolving field of practice that has made major scientific and practical leaps forward since early 2020. Global, regional, and local health authorities are increasingly recognizing the need to expand their capacities for infodemic management in their efforts to better prepare for future health emergencies. This book is the resource they need to build toward a mature infodemic management process. The text also can be used as supplemental reading for graduate programs and courses in public health.

COVID-19 is not the only global challenge that the world is facing these days. The infodemic, based on the pandemic (COVID-19), is another serious challenge for the world at this time. Each flare-up is joined with a large volume of data and information; however, this data can be based on deception, gossip, rumors, and more. Misinformation not only impacts the human body negatively but also impacts mental health. The infodemic has an impact on human health and professional performance, but also leaks into business organizations in terms of financial matters, employees' psychological and physical health, employee performance, and the organization’s performance. The misinformation regarding health issues can disturb business organizations and affect the employees, organizations’ market share and financial matters, future firing and hiring policies of the organizations, and international operations of the companies. Though the COVID-19 pandemic may be over in time, the impact of the relevant infodemic will continue to disrupt business organizations for several years into the future. Impact of Infodemic on Organizational Performance highlights the impact of the infodemic due to the pandemic (COVID-19) in organizations’ performance and enhances the understanding of how the infodemic can and has negatively impacted employees as well as organizational performance. This is supplemented by a view of how organizations are tackling the infodemic and how business organizations can recover from the lasting negative impacts. This book highlights essential topics such as social media, knowledge management, business environments, business strategies, employee behavior, and mental health. The target audience includes but is not limited to managers, executives, human resource development, counselors, analysts, business organizations, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students who are interested in the impacts of the infodemic on businesses and their employees and the relevant strategies to combat the effects.

Epidemics and pandemics of infectious diseases are occurring more often, and spreading faster and further than ever, in many different regions of the world. The background factors of this threat are biological, environmental and lifestyle changes, among others. A potentially fatal combination of newly-discovered diseases, and the re-emergence of many long-established ones, demands urgent responses in all countries. Planning and preparation for epidemic prevention and control are essential. The purpose of the Managing epidemics handbook is to provide expert guidance on those response. Building on the first edition, the second edition provides concise and basic up-to-date knowledge with which World Health Organization country representatives can advise Ministries of Health to respond effectively and rapidly at the very start of an outbreak. Part I of the handbook provides insights on epidemics of the 21st century and offers context on the upsurge of recent epidemics. Part II has been updated and offers 10 key facts about 19 deadly diseases including tips on the interventions required to respond. Part III presents various Tool boxes that summarize guidance on several important topics. The handbook focuses on practical and indispensable things to know about infectious diseases that are most important for national, political and operational decision-makers; it also links readers to more exhaustive WHO guidance.

The overview provide context to the infodemic management activities WHO established throughout 2020 and first quarter of 2021 and that are being further optimized and scaled up for future application during health emergencies: Listen to concerns; Communicate risk & distill science; Promote resilience to misinformation; Engage & empower communities.

The risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) competency framework is a resource that details the essential behaviours and activities necessary for effective communication and engagement with communities before, during and after public health emergencies. The purpose of this framework is to establish and promote a common understanding of behavioural competencies and how they should be applied for high-performing and community-centred health emergency programmes. It is intended to support the development of standardized training programmes, professional development and talent acquisition and to enhance the capabilities of public health professionals involved in RCCE. Its goal is to inform the establishment of a skilled, well-trained RCCE workforce that consistently understands and executes the necessary behaviours and activities required to conduct RCCE activities with competence and professionalism.

Telemedicine is a term which covers all remotely-provided health services. It removes the obstacle of distance and can equalize access to care by means of technology. Telemedicine assumed increased importance during the time of pandemic restrictions, but despite increased interest, progress has been slowed by factors such as cost, lack of privacy legislation, the reluctance of elderly patients to use ICT, and a lack of qualified actors. It remains, however, one of the best solutions to the problems of different levels of healthcare provision and health outcomes across regions. This book presents the proceedings of STC2023, a Special Topic Conference (STC) organized by the European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI), and held from 25 - 27 October 2023 in Turin, Italy. These conferences promote research and development in a specific field of biomedical and health informatics, and the theme of the 2023 STC was Telehealth Ecosystems in Practice. A total of 112 submissions were received for the conference. Of these, the number of papers selected after a thorough review process was 51 full papers (acceptance 59%) and 26 posters, all of which are included in these proceedings. Topics covered include homecare and telemonitoring; televisits; teleradiology; telerehabilitation; data integration and standards; embedded decision support systems; sensors, devices and patient-reported outcomes; healthbots and conversational agents; and AI applications to telehealth. Covering a wide range of topics and methods in telemedicine and biomedical informatics, the book will be of interest to all those involved in the planning and provision of healthcare.

Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 69, the latest release in this premier outlet for reviews of mature, high-impact research programs in social psychology, provides defining pieces of established research programs, reviewing and integrating thematically related findings by individual scholars or research groups. Topics discussed in Volume 69 include Countering Misinformation Through Psychological Inoculation, Coherence of Emotional Response Systems: Theory, Measurement, and Benefits, The Impact of the Environment on Behavior, Human Creativity: Functions, Mechanisms, and Social Conditioning, and Predicting Other People Shapes the Social Mind. Provides one of the most cited series in the field of experimental social psychology Contains contributions of major empirical and theoretical interest Represents the best and brightest in new research, theory, and practice in social psychology