Trust and transparent communication.
Trust is a key ingredient for all of us in healthcare. Trust in ourselves, our patients, our leaders, our policies, our decision makers. We know that trust is vital for overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic at all levels, so I was fascinated to see this superb seven-minute video made by Sanya Dosani and Chai Dingari published a few days ago by the New York Times. I strongly suggest that everyone invests seven minutes in watching “
The Three Rules of Coronavirus Communication”.
The video focuses on messaging approaches used around the world during the pandemic and describes three core principles for any effective messaging. These are:
- Build trust
- Know your audience
- Think long term
Reflecting on these principles has made me feel how fortunate we are here at UC Davis Health. While we know that nothing is ever perfect, one of the real strengths, in my view, of our response to COVID-19 has been in our increasingly transparent messaging and communications at all levels.
I would like to say “thank you” to all involved, as I hear from colleagues around the country of numerous other health systems where such messaging has not occurred, and where physicians are still feeling very much in the dark. Thank you to all our leaders who have put substantial amounts of time into messaging and the information flow, and to Steve Telliano and his team in Public Affairs who have facilitated much of this. I know that some colleagues still feel the need for more information, so it is worthwhile recapping exactly what has been provided, in case anyone wants to do some extra searching.
There have been routine twice weekly update messages to all staff, written by a wide variety of health system leaders, which have included a number of comprehensive summaries of our current situation and future plans from Dr. David Lubarsky, as well as the Chancellor May’s detailed weekly messages which give an excellent whole campus perspective. There have been many “town halls” featuring Dr. Allison Brashear and others, especially focused on the research and education communities, most of which are recorded and can be viewed asynchronously. There are the three times weekly messages from media relations for all managers that include a dashboard of inpatient and outpatient contacts, with similar messages sent to physicians three times per week from Dr. Doug Kirk. These messages have focused on policy and dashboard summary data, which has allowed us to track the “Restore Initiative” in great detail. I, for one, have greatly appreciated knowing our daily census, number of COVID-19 patients, and details of clinic activities which has given me a much better feel for the achievements of all of us as a group. And finally, there are numerous often inspiring and collegial messages being sent by Chairs, Training Directors and other leaders to their own constituencies, as well as Good Stuff and messages from my office, which have primarily focused on our resilience. Lastly, for those who want to dig deeper, there are several well publicized internal and external websites containing COVID-19 data, policies and information on community resources for us and our families, mainly accessible through the Insider, and the main campus website.
As physicians at UC Davis Health, I believe there are few reasons to feel lacking in information, unless you choose not to spend a few minutes reading at least some of these sources. The information available to us is of a much greater level of granularity than I personally have ever seen before in my 17 years here on faculty. This transparency is a positive outcome from COVID-19.
So let’s return to the message from the New York Times. I believe that, here at UC Davis Health, we have built trust as a healthcare system during this difficult time. Clearly, the messages being sent to us have been helpful and on point. Few of us are feeling as uncertain or as afraid as we were six months ago. These feelings have, in my view, been replaced mainly by tiredness and frustration at the extra work and the workplace inconveniences involved. We are all concerned about how long this pandemic is going to last, and whether there will be another phase in the Fall, as well as what will be the “new normal” with hopefully many less personal and community restrictions.
All of us are looking for the “silver linings” from COVID-19 that will further justify the work and sacrifices made fighting the pandemic. Here at UC Davis Health, I believe an important silver lining is the increased communication and transparency that we have achieved throughout our health system. I hope this continues long term.
Thank you to all. Let me finish with a quote about the importance of trust and transparent communication from the short article accompanying the New York Times video.
“It’s not rocket science. Or even a vaccine. But it works.”
