| Risk Communication and Community Engagement in Epidemics, Lessons from COVID-19 Pandemic | 
								
								  | Kamran  Bagheri Lankarani    ,  Hossein  Malekafzali    ,  MohammadHossein  Taghdisi    ,  Assadollah  Rajab    ,  Abdolrahman  Rostamian    ,  Alireza  Mesdaghinia    ,  Kazem  Nadafi    ,  Leila  Azadbakht    ,  Ali  Ramezankhani9    ,  Maryam  Khayamzadeh    | 
								
								  | Permanent Member of Academy of Medical Sciences, of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences | 
								
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								  | Abstract:       (3284 Views) | 
								
								  | Background: Risk communication (RC) and community engagement are perquisite for management of epidemics. Triumph of RC depends on adjustment of message and considering the characteristics of the sender and the audience according to the context and situation. Methods: This article has been prepared using scientific and relevant articles and guidelines.
 Results: For effective RC , the essential steps include public participation; planning; credibility ; deference of other sources of communication ; financing & ethical considerations. For success in RC one should consider community culture, people's beliefs and their understanding of the event . The people’s right to be  worried in epidemics should be recognized by the authorities and participatory strategies rather than compulsive one should be prioritized.
 Conclusion: In the pandemic of COVID-19, series of successful and nonsuccessful experiences happened. The of review of these experiences may help the policy makers in their future efforts .
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								  | Keywords:  COVID-19, Epidemics, Information Science | 
								
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								  | Full-Text  [PDF 498 kb] 
                                    
                                     
                                     
                                    
									  
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								  | Letter:  Review Article |
                                  Subject: 
                                  Special Received: 2020/06/13 | Accepted: 2020/06/13 | Published: 2020/06/13
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