A scoping review of factors affecting disaster risk communication, 2000-2023.

Abstract

Effective risk communication is essential in addressing the complex challenges posed by biological events in the healthcare system. This scoping review study aims to identify key concepts, highlight existing gaps in risk communication, explore factors influencing risk communication during biological events, and uncover areas of insufficient knowledge. This study scoping review employed a domain review methodology following Arksey's approach, utilizing five key stages: determining research questions, identifying relevant studies, selecting studies, recording data, and collecting, summarizing, and reporting findings. Data extraction sources included studies from some international databases including Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed, and Google Scholar Motor enjone from 2000 to 2023 Inclusion criteria encompassed studies on disaster risk communication, while exclusion criteria included non-English articles and those not focused on disaster risk communication. The study analyzed 18 articles on risk communication in disasters, revealing key factors such as cultural, technological, organizational, and socio-economic influences. Trust-building, transparent communication efforts and collaboration among experts and media professionals are essential for enhancing risk communication and fostering public dialogue. Comprehensive risk communication should address uncertainties, complex decisions, and shared responsibilities, resonate with individuals' concerns, and ensure inclusivity for vulnerable populations. Risk communication is one of the important components of disasters management, which plays an important role in making informed decisions, changing positive behavior, and maintaining people's trust during disasters, which becomes more important in biological events, so there is a need for policymakers and managers to take into account the identified factors. Plan to educate and increase the awareness of the public in order to reduce the vulnerability of society in the event of biological events. It is suggested that due to the importance of the issue of designing a local model of the communication of the risk of accidents and disasters in biological incidents, it should be done in the next studies.