Responding to public health crises

Communication Design Quarterly Aug 2017

Elizabeth L. Angeli ; Christina D. Norwood

Abstract

This paper examines how the cognitive framework of collective mindfulness complements tenets of user experience in public health crisis communication. Collective mindfulness attunes an organization into preemptively identifying and avoiding potential failures that can have adverse safety and public relations outcomes. To illustrate the connection between this cognitive framework and user experience, this article shares findings from a case study with the 2014 Johns Hopkins Medicine Ebola Crisis Communications Team, whose primary goals were to improve the usability of Ebola personal protective equipment protocols and to prepare healthcare providers for a U.S. Ebola crisis. Based on a grounded theory investigation, this article suggests that the collective mindfulness principles of deference to expertise, resilience, and refusal to simplify complex procedures informed the team's ability to avoid a catastrophic communication failure. Additionally, these principles allowed the team to attune to key user experience principles, including addressing user context and user limitations.

Journal: Communication Design Quarterly
Published: 2017-08-04
DOI: 10.1145/3131201.3131204
CompPile: Search in CompPile ↗
Topics: qualitative research technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

Arduser (2018)

Impatient patients

Communication Design Quarterly

Cites in this index (9)

Lazard et al. (2015)

e-health first impressions and visual evaluations

Communication Design Quarterly
Amant (2015)

Culture and the contextualization of care

Communication Design Quarterly
Kascak et al. (2013)

Icon design to improve communication of health information to older adults

Communication Design Quarterly
Ding (2013)

Transcultural Risk Communication and Viral Discourses: Grassroots Movements to …

Technical Communication Quarterly
Meloncon (2013)

Visual communication in environmental health

Communication Design Quarterly

Show all 9 →

Angeli (2012)

Metaphors in the Rhetoric of Pandemic Flu: Electronic Media Coverage of H1N1 an…

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Ding (2009)

Rhetorics of Alternative Media in an Emerging Epidemic: SARS, Censorship, and E…

Technical Communication Quarterly
Paretti et al. (2007)

Teaching Technical Communication in an Era of Distributed Work: A Case Study of…

Technical Communication Quarterly
WINSOR (1999)

Genre and Activity Systems

Written Communication

Also cites 6 works outside this index ↓

Baik D. (2016). Team-based care: A concept analysis. Nursing Forum. Baik D. (2016). Team-based care: A conce…

↗
10.1080/13561820802303664

↗
Corbin J. & Strauss A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing groun…

↗
Hyun E. Stolte H. & Paslack R. (2014). Transdisciplinary interfaces and innovation in the life sciences. W. N…

↗
10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.048

↗
10.1109/TPC.2016.2583278

↗

CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network →