People’s Need for Health Information and Communication: How Past Experiences Could Support Future Interventions

Abstract

People’s need for information and communication concerning health has emerged from many sources, even for important aspects related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges of those who want to respond to this need are mainly related to which design characteristics could better support their aim. Thus, this article first examines a selected list of examples of different approaches of interventions targeted at citizens aimed at increasing health knowledge. Successively our recent experience regarding a new tool developed to support people’s health by promoting communication about citizens’ approach towards pharmaceuticals is discussed. In addition, here we propose that a similar methodological approach may be useful also to highlight people's critical issues and suggestions regarding health care system, i.e., factors that could play a pivotal role in a pandemic scenario. Our experience in the local context through an integrated strategy can be useful to address key factors concerning people’s approach to medicines, and approach to health care system even during a pandemic scenario. Overall these examples of past experience show how some approaches could support the understanding of suitable future, community-level, interventions to enhance information and communication about health and care.

Keywords

• information and communication
• pharmaceuticals
• health system
• intervention approaches
• citizens’ approach
• informatics tool