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The effectiveness of redundant communications for a nationwide public health project to be successful has not been adequately studied. The communications need of different jurisdictions at the state, city, and territorial levels differ according to geography, time zone, and language (ex. English vs. Spanish).
Methods:
Eight webinars and one conference call were conducted during the pre-event period (April – October 2007) with an aim to inform, educate and train Project Areas on the vaccine doses administered pilot test. Data on Project Area participation in webinars and conference calls was examined and compared with data on information of interest (option choice, clinic date) receipt during the planning and implementation phase of the pilot test. Hurdles and challenges experienced during the planning and implementation phases of the pilot test were also examined with accompanying recommendations for improvement.
Results:
Over 65% (6/9) of the Project Areas who did not participate in any webinars or conference calls also did not submit information on clinic dates. In comparison, 100% (53/ 53) of the Project Areas who submitted information on clinic dates had participated in webinars or conference calls. During the event phase of the pilot (Nov 01 - Dec 31, 2007), 85% (6/7) of the Project Areas who did not submit any data also did not participate in any webinars or conference calls. In comparison, all the Project Areas who submitted some data (55/55) had participated in one or more of webinars or conference calls.
Conclusions: In order to achieve the desired outcome in a nationwide public health project the communication products should be adequately and repeatedly provided to the target audience. Language, lack of proper training, lack of resources (i.e. time, adequate staff, and funding), and application defects are some of hurdles identified for effective communication during the pilot test.