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In recent weeks, with the increase in cases and deaths and an intensification of pressure on the National Health Service (SNS), communication about the covid-19 has been criticized, among accusations of disorientation, restrictions and exceptions, recriminations or simple ineffectiveness. Prime Minister António Costa took responsibility on Thursday: “It’s all my fault. The messenger misunderstood the message ”.
The recognition of the failures by the government leader can mark the beginning of a new ‘therapy’ in terms of communication about Covid-19 and also symbolizes the perception of some mistakes that were made, especially in the last month. According to the communication specialists listened to by Lusa, the expectation is the realization of a fundamental idea: to involve the Portuguese again in the fulfillment of preventive measures.
“Having made a ‘mea culpa’, the prime minister opened a window of opportunity and understanding, because people are more easily faced with the truth than with the lack of trust,” said manager Margarida Pinto da Fonseca, communication consultant manager S Consulting, specialized in the health area, for whom it is necessary to “seek cohesion through dialogue”.
The last message from António Costa was also important to mitigate the idea of “negative communication” that, according to Rui Gaspar, professor at the Catholic University and psychologist specializing in crisis communication, was being created with “blaming people”, which “ It leads them not to follow the recommendations ”of the authorities.
“People have every right to feel tired and we must recognize tiredness and the right to be tired. More than blaming people for relaxation, it is important to listen to people about the barriers they face in their daily life to implement the behaviors that are asked of them, “he explained, adding:” When we involve people in their own communication , the guarantee of success and adherence will be greater ”.
A vision shared by Andreia García, director of the health communication consultancy Miligrama, who highlighted that “communication requires that the recipients get involved in the communicative act” and that there is currently a “confusion” between information and communication.
“In contexts of public emergency, such as the one we are experiencing, linear communication models, based solely on the transmission of information, cannot be expected to promote behavior change. The problem does not lie in the lack of information, but in the inability to involve and listen to the population ”, sums up the consultant and teacher from the Escola Superior de Comunicação Social.
Among the main criticisms of the adopted communication model is the articulation of the technical aspect, by the DGS – generally with Graça Freitas -, and politics, through the government, that is, by the Minister of Health, Marta Temido. A situation that “is not desirable”, according to Rui Gaspar, who defended that “technical communication and political communication must be separated” due to the risk of “perception that they are not two entities” to communicate.
“When the technical aspect is not distinguished from the political aspect, this will always be a problem,” said the academic, who has also been advising DGS throughout the pandemic, reiterating that “communication must be done by technicians”, but that this “It is not just about communicating epidemiological information and numbers, it is also having an empathetic side and showing people that what they are doing is being done well.”
“More than listing statistics, it is necessary to identify the priority audiences, the messages most appropriate to these audiences and the channels that are important to achieve the proposed objectives,” reinforced Andreia García, who also argued that these channels “may not be the conferences of press ”that went from daily to three times a week.
And if the numbers say a lot about the spread of covid-19 in Portugal, after eight months of the pandemic, they can also explain another less quantifiable risk, but equally dangerous: desensitization and the detachment of people from the statistics.
“This has been going on for many months, there is a ‘numbing’ effect [entorpecimento]. And when we start to communicate a lot in numbers, we stop seeing them as people. 30, 40 or 50 dead are no longer people with families, who had their lives and were affected by this situation, “said Rui Gaspar, who pointed out the reference to” concrete examples “and the attribution of” emotional meaning “as an alternative. numbers.
For Margarida Pinto da Fonseca, another factor that compromised the effectiveness of communication was the change in the political context. If the climate of consensus around the measures adopted was emphasized in the first wave, the second wave occurred with clear fractures between the different political and social agents, with consequences for the receptivity of the message.
“The union that characterized the attitude of the different authorities is over, and the sectors are moving further and further away to fight each for themselves and for their interests,” he stressed, underlining: “It was important to have a kind of consensus between the different parties, including a consultation with the media, to understand how together we will continue to spread a message that is becoming empty ”.
The specialists listened to by Lusa also point out the urgency of adapting the message to different audiences, drawing a difference with what happened in the first wave, in which ignorance and perception of risk were global; Now, more is known about the new coronavirus and different population groups view SARS-CoV-2 differently.
“Communication cannot be a generalized act that works in all contexts, for all audiences, at the same time”, stated Andreia García, seconded by Margarida Pinto da Fonseca: “The complexity of the virus and the irregular way in which it behaves lead to a special need to segment messages ”.
Defender of a more “proactive” communication focused on future scenarios, Rui Gaspar also considered that “the media should not be the main mediators at this time, but local structures”, with “micro-influencers” and a strategic communication plan for a a more regional level or even for higher risk counties.
Another way to reach people can be in primary health care, since, for Andreia García, it is the family doctor who is “the main source of information for a patient”, especially in risk groups. In this sense, he called for the “integration of communication professionals into decision-making bodies” of the health center groups.
“Channels and strategic alliances must be found, even at the technological level, to reach different audiences. It is important to understand where people are going to get their information and who they trust. This is a fundamental step, but it implies the humility of those who are working on the message ”, declared Margarida Pinto da Fonseca.
Portugal accounts for at least 3,305 deaths associated with Covid-19 in 211,266 confirmed cases of infection, according to the bulletin published on Saturday by the General Directorate of Health (DGS).
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