16C INFODEMIC MANAGEMENT

Infodemic management monitors the information environment that communities live in to understand how it shapes their perceptions and health behaviours. Health workers and health systems can also be impacted by infodemic harms, such as loss of public trust, stigmatization or violence against health workers and by patients delaying care-seeking or taking non-approved treatments. Infodemic harms can be addressed and resilience can built in communities and health systems against health misinformation by rapidly addressing precursors and components such as questions, concerns, information voids, and circulating narratives.

In today’s increasingly connected world, health information is shared rapidly and amplified through digital channels while also influencing offline conversations, traditional media news cycles or less-digitally connected communities. In this evolving information environment, individuals can access many sources of health information beyond public authorities. Health misinformation narratives can often take advantage of the dynamics and design of the information environment, such as algorithms and content moderation policies of internet platforms and varying levels of digital, media and health literacy among readers. Infodemic management strategies are relevant to all levels of society, including health systems, to help reduce impacts of health emergencies at individual, community, health system and societal levels by using a deep understanding of the underlying reasons how and why narratives gain traction and become part of broader social conversations. Infodemic management includes additional benchmark 16C.1.

IMPACT:

Effective infodemic management supports health systems to prepare and proactively prevent the harm infodemics can cause during an emergency when information, confusion, questions, concerns, information voids and narratives surge in communities. Infodemic monitoring analyzes diverse data sources such as social listening, health information systems and partners (e.g. factcheckers), to identify and implement misinformation resilience strategies and rapidly meet people’s information and service needs during a health emergency. Infodemic insights identify strategies and structures that can strengthen resilience of the health system, health workers or communities to health misinformation. During an outbreak, rapid infodemic insights inform faster response to the questions, concerns and needs people express in different communities of focus. Insights support the promotion of health information equity and tailoring of emergency response strategies, health policy, health guidance, treatments, diagnostics, vaccines, public health and social measures (PHSM), engagement, communication and service delivery.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION:

(1) Existence of formal infodemic management plans and SOPs as well as arrangements and systems for routine development, gathering and use of infodemic insights for preparedness, prevention and response in emergencies, including in vulnerable communities. (2) Infodemic management function is formalized as part of emergency preparedness and prevention plans and is coordinated across all stakeholders disseminating health information, evidence or guidance. (3) Networks and rosters exist for surge capacity to support infodemic management and digital provision of accurate and reliable health information during a health emergency. (4) The information environment is mapped at national and subnational levels and routine data sources are identified within and outside the health system for inclusion in routine infodemic monitoring and data sharing and policies are put in place for privacy and governance considerations.

Benchmark 16C.1

An infodemic management system for health emergencies and unusual events is in place

Objective To develop a system for monitoring and managing infodemics before, during and after health emergencies and unusual events

01 NO CAPACITY

  1. Aspects of infodemic management are under development or conducted on an ad hoc basis.

02 LIMITED CAPACITY

  1. Establish an infodemic management unit/team, with ToRs, in the health ministry and/or the national institute of public health.
  2. Conduct multisectoral landscape analysis to identify stakeholders and potential partners as well as opportunities and weaknesses in health information seeking and use. *
  3. Identify and connect with stakeholders and teams who have relevant job profiles and functions related to infodemic management. *
  4. Develop and test a national multihazard multisectoral infodemic management strategy and plan. *
  5. Develop a basic editorial style for published health information products and start health authority webpages and social media channels. *
  6. Produce social listening and infodemic insight reports to inform specific routine health programme activities that require infodemic management support on an as needed basis. *
  7. Integrate infodemic management capacities and strategies in the national multihazard risk communication and community engagement plan and health emergency incident management system SOPs. *

03 DEVELOPED CAPACITY

  1. Implement the national multihazard multisectoral infodemic management strategy and plan at the national level. *
  2. Identify and participate in trainings for relevant sectors to collaborate with infodemic management teams before, during and after health emergencies and unusual health events.
  3. Develop SOPs for analysis, access to data sources to conduct rapid infodemic insights analysis and to respond to ad hoc requests from the IMS. *
  4. Identify networks and staff for surge support capacity during outbreaks, who are trained in infodemic management tools and practices, at the national level. *
  5. Establish and test a mechanism for rapid content development to support infodemic response using infodemic insights. *
  6. Develop, test and implement multisectoral infodemic monitoring and evaluation tools at the national level. *
  7. Develop and disseminate training packages and tools to support health workers to effectively address questions from their patients and media and for the management of misinformation at the national level. *
  8. Implement the basic editorial style for published heath information products and update health authority webpages and social media channels regularly at the national level. *
  9. Establish a coordination mechanism for infodemic management including health information publishers at the national level. *
  10. Use job aids and toolkits, in relevant sectors, that explain the specificity of working with health misinformation as compared to other kinds of misinformation domains.

04 DEMONSTRATED CAPACITY

  1. Implement the national multihazard multisectoral infodemic management strategy and plan at the subnational level. *
  2. Implement SOPs for analysis and access to data sources to conduct rapid infodemic insights analysis regularly before, during and after emergencies. *
  3. Implement multisectoral infodemic monitoring and evaluation tools and use information for decision-making at the subnational level. *
  4. Develop and disseminate training packages and tools to support health workers to effectively address questions from their patients and media and for the management of misinformation at the subnational level. *
  5. Identify, develop and deploy infodemic management interventions. *
  6. Develop SOPs, tools and partnerships to detect, address and mitigate disinformation and cyberattacks and delineate multisectoral responsibility for response. *
  7. Conduct a review (SimEx/AAR/IAR, as relevant) on infodemic management before, during and after emergencies at national and subnational levels. *
  8. Develop infodemic management capacities in CSOs, academic institutions and other partners engaged in health emergency preparedness, health promotion and health service delivery. *

05 SUSTAINABLE CAPACITY

  1. Update infodemic management strategies, plans, SOPs and trainings based on lessons learned and best practices from review, testing and research based evidence. *
  2. Prioritize infodemiology as a funded research area with multisectoral engagement and CSO/CBO/NGO involvement. *
  3. Integrate infodemic management into relevant health policies. *
  4. Allocate dedicated budget for infodemic management. *
  5. Utilize advanced analytical innovations for analysis of narratives and social networks by infodemic management unit. *
  6. Participate in policy dialogues with relevant sectors of government and of society on mitigating harms from misinformation, protecting freedom of speech, promoting internet governance, and online content moderation in the context of misinformation and health service delivery during health emergencies and unusual events. *
  7. Sustain systems for long term monitoring, evaluation and improvement of policies, interventions and strategies for infodemic management. *
  8. Document and disseminate best practices and lessons learned on infodemic management. *

* Participation and contribution of other sectors to action.

Tools