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Maintained & operated by IntraHealth International

COVID-19 Response

Needs amidst a health emergency

During a disease outbreak, real-time communication between national health authorities and frontline health workers is critical to protecting health workers and saving lives. 

When coordinating the health emergency response, health officials need to be able to share urgent alerts, new testing and treatment guidelines, and train health workers on infection prevention and control (IPC) and risk communication. To equip health workers with information, supplies, and support, health officials at all levels need real-time information about the conditions in facilities and communities around the country, including case counts, stock levels, and other issues or risks.

To enable frontline health workers to treat patients and promote health in their communities properly, they need official, accurate, and timely information and instruction. Recognition and support by health officials are critical to keeping health workers motivated.

Poor information exchange creates an environment in which rumors and misinformation spread widely. This can then lead to fear and misunderstanding about the disease, mistrust of health workers and the health system overall, and stigma and discrimination against frontline health workers, caregivers, families, and communities. Immediate and authoritative health communication directly to and from health workers is critical to reducing information skepticism, promoting needed activities, and hastening the adoption of essential health interventions.

 

How mHero can contribute to a coordinated health emergency response

Lessons learned from the Ebola response pointed to how fast, informative communication to frontline health workers and their immediate, precise case reporting helped tackle the health emergency. mHero was useful in engaging communities, managing rumors, and mitigating public health threats.

Given mHero's origin, it is uniquely suited to fulfill communication needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mHero platform can be used for myriad government health communications needs, segmenting health workers into specific groups to:

  • Coordinate health promotion strategies and public health emergency responses
  • Train health workers on infection prevention and control and risk communication
  • Test health worker knowledge of COVID-19 responses through mini-quizzes
  • Report suspected COVID-19 cases and other high-priority diseases
  • Relay unanticipated stock-outs of essential commodities such as sterile gloves, masks, and respirators
  • Reveal local health and safety concerns, including mental health and physical risks

IntraHealth led the development and deployment of the tool during the Ebola crisis. Since then, our team has updated the platform to enable remote assistance with implementing it anywhere in the world.