Dear America,

Please think before you speak on

Ebola . . .

A policy brief about how communication in

America has adversely complicated our
efforts to address Ebola.
It advocates the need to reference evidencebased practice methods during
communication and education of Ebola, and
discourages hast decisions based on
insecurities which have no place in scientific
practice.
Summer Pike, RN
Americans are fearful of Ebola and deserve accurate, relative,
and consistent answers. Due to poor global involvement and
communication within Africa, our nation has shown that we
willingly have disregarded this epidemic for the past 37 years.
Since 1976, Africa has seen over 20 Ebola outbreaks totaling
2,357 cases and 1,548 deaths, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. As of October 29, 2014, there
have been over 13,500 cases and 4,941 deaths reported due to
the Ebola virus, that is over six times the sum total for all
previous outbreaks combined.
Now, as our nation scrambles to react to a 37 year old known
issue and The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
continues to repeat and complicate our efforts in preventing
the spread of communicable diseases. The hastiness of our ill
prepared communications has set forth a domino effect
releasing various recommendations based on insecurities
rather than evidence, leaving us to question the source of
truth.

Relating to Ebola, a recent article in

The New England Journal of Medicine
mentions, The first decade of the AIDS
epidemic spawned a similar kind of
hysteria, predominantly targeted at
people living with HIVAIDS, but also
directed against what the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
unfortunately called the four Hs, the
four high-risk groups: homosexuals,
heroin addicts, hemophiliacs, and
Haitians. - (Gonsalves & Staley, 2014)

So how can America do a better

job communicating the facts
about Ebola, so we can better
serve the public?

Its in the content delivery . . .

Perspective A quick and simple fact
comparison experiment on how ways we
communicate influence perception.
FACT: A person cannot survive if they are unable
breathe.
FACT: A person cannot survive if they cannot breathe
on their own.
FALSE: In America, we have access to
resources, such as ventilators, to sustain life.
TRUE: In Africa, a person cannot survive if they
cannot breathe on their own, as they do not
have access to resources

Keep it evidence based, SIMPLE, and

include content that is relevant to the
root cause.
Now think about this . . . what DISEASES
plague Africa but warrant little or no
attention when they present in America?

Tetanus

Measles

Tuberculosis

HIV/AIDS

Africas lack of finances in low income economies

means lack of supplies such as soap, water, and
gloves (MMWR, 2014).
Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia have some of the
worst maternal and child mortality rates on the
planet an indicator of a failing health system.

WHO would be your

Source of Truth?

Navigate the CDC website to find and read the most

recent, Guidance on Personal Protective Equipment
To Be Used by Healthcare Workers During
Management of Patients with Ebola Virus Disease in
U.S. Hospitals, Including Procedures for Putting On
(Donning) and Removing (Doffing) OR go to the link,
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/procedures-forppe.html
Brief document summary
A guidance document, approx. 12 pgs.,
highly personnel resource driven, with no
reference to supporting evidence.

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL

AND PREVENTION

Verses
Navigate the WHO website to find and read the
most recent, Personal Protective Equipment in
the Context of Filovirus Disease Outbreak
Response Rapid advice guideline OR go to the
link,
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/1374
10/1/WHO_EVD_Guidance_PPE_14.1_eng.pdf?
ua=1
Brief document summary
Guideline document, 10 pgs.,
recommendations and quality of
evidence measured, rational and
remarks noted.
THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION

Transparency Its the right thing to do.

When dealing with Ebolas risk perceptions, valid or not,
trusting in what we know to be scientifically true and
admitting what we dont hasnt worked well for us in the
past. In an article, recently published by The Washington
Post, a psychologist discusses how the perception of
inadequate understanding by experts is one of several
factors known to heighten fear (Slovic, 2014).
Well, news flash America, scientific experts are most
certain about one thing, uncertainty.

EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE

Evidence-based medicine, the practice of

medicine in which the physician finds,
assesses, and implements methods of
diagnosis and treatment on the basis of the
best available current research, their clinical
expertise, and the needs and preferences of
the patient (Mosby, 2009).

Okay, that that may have been a bit harsh, but think
about where we are today. Humans are a unique, we
have the ability to imagine, create, and formulate ideas,
participating in science and experimentation through
trial and error, and without these thought provoking
abilities our evolution would cease.

Conclusion
Uncertainty is inevitable but fortunately, for us, humans
are capable of problem solving so that we may find
answers to those uncertainties. The focus going forward,
especially as we continue to face more complex
questions, particularly those infectious in nature, will be
to insure we constantly deliver information that is
evidence based, simple, and relevant to the root cause.
If we dont change how we communicate, it could mean
the difference between just one live lost verses the loss
of a thousand.

Health officials have said again and again

that any hospital should be able to treat
Ebola patients, but the two nurses diagnosed
with Ebola in Dallas
over
last
fewhere.
days
Delete text
andthe
place
photo
have been moved from Texas Health
Presbyterian Hospital -- where they
contracted Ebola while treating Thomas Eric
Duncan -- to specialized hospitals with
biocontainment units (abc News, 2014).

REFERENCES
abc News. (2014, October 16). US Has Capacity for 11 Ebola Patients at Specialized Hospitals. Retrieved
from ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/us-capacity-11-ebola-patients-specializedhospitals/story?id=26251721
Gonsalves, G., & Staley, P. (2014, November 5). Panic, Paranoia, and Public Health The AIDS Epidemic's
Lessons for Ebola. Retrieved from New England Journal of Medicine:
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1413425?query=featured_ebola
Matthews, M. (2014, October 24). Four Minnesota Hospitals Designated to Treat Ebola Patients. Retrieved
from 5 Eyewitness ABC News: http://kstp.com/article/stories/s3600467.shtml
McGuckin, M., Waterman, R., & Govednik, J. (2009). Hand Hygiene Compliance Rates in the United
StatesA One-Year Multicenter Collaboration Using Product/Volume Usage Measurement and
Feedback. American Journal of Medical Quality, 205-213.
Mosby. (2009). Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. Mryland Heights: Elsevier.
Slovic, P. (2014, October 27). Yes, our Ebola freakout is irrational. But there's still a good reason to have
the jitters. Retrieved from The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/10/27/yes-our-ebola-freakout-isirrational-but-theres-still-a-good-reason-to-have-the-jitters/
World Health Organization. (2014, September). Ebola virus disease. Retrieved from World Health
Organization: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/