Dundee University researchers have said the NHS needs better links with the media to get its message across during health scares.
A team from the school of nursing and midwifery studied media coverage over the first three weeks of the C. difficile outbreak at the Vale of Leven Hospital in 2008. There was intense media interest in the case which saw 55 patients affected by the bug. with 18 of them dying.
In a paper published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, the researchers said: “With regard to media coverage, it is vital that an understanding of what is reported, how it is reported and why it is reported is gained to be able to fully engage with patients and the public.
“Rather than viewing media coverage of an adverse healthcare event as potentially harmful, it can be used as an opportunity for healthcare professionals, especially nurses, to continually engage with patients and the public to challenge unwarranted assumptions and promote basic knowledge of infection risk and a more comprehensive understanding.”
The research team hope that their report could help health professionals to better engage with the media in a similar crisis in future.
