Who's guide regarding the dissemination of information on the condition of Covid patients

The rise of news related to chronology to personal information about COVID-19 patients has a psychological impact on them. How could it not be, the epidemic which has caused around 90,000 cases globally is being highlighted by the public, especially in Indonesia. Then, what should the rules be for spreading COVID-19 patient information?

Be careful when disseminating COVID-19 patient information

Reporting from the official website of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, there are two Indonesian citizens who have tested positive for COVID-19. The news, which had caused an uproar in the public on Monday (2/3), was spread through social media, news broadcasts, and other platforms.

Starting from the chronology of patients having contact with COVID-19 sufferers from Japan to personal information being spread in cyberspace. Not a few of these reports reveal hoaxes, aka lies and actually have a psychological impact on patients.

This condition can occur due to several factors, such as:

• COVID-19 is a new disease and many things are still unknown
• Humans fear the unknown
• Fear is easily associated with other people, which creates fear

These three factors eventually lead to a dangerous stereotype, namely fear of COVID-19 patients. In fact, this fear may arise from news or news that uses word choices that scare them, so that such stereotypes are formed.

As a result, these dangerous stereotypes can encourage the public to discriminate against certain groups and in this case, COVID-19 patients. The following are some of the consequences of choosing the wrong words when spreading information related to disease outbreaks.

• encourages people to hide illness for fear of experiencing discrimination
• prevent sick people from getting prompt treatment
• reduce people's desire to adopt healthy behaviors

Who would have thought that the choice of words in disseminating information, especially regarding information on COVID-19 patients, could have a big enough impact on society?

Therefore, try to always pay attention to the news received, whether hoax or not before spreading it to others and adding to the panic.

COVID-19 Outbreak updates Country: IndonesiaData

1,024,298

Confirmed

831,330

Recovered

28,855

DeathDistribution Map

Rules for disseminating information related to COVID-19 patients

In fact, WHO has issued guidelines in disseminating information on the COVID-19 outbreak, especially regarding the patient's condition.

These guidelines are designed to prevent stigma and fear about infectious diseases from circulating, thus inhibiting responses. Therefore, the government is asked to build trust in reliable health services, show empathy for patients, and understand the disease.

Writing or how to communicate about COVID-19 turns out to be quite important so that other people can take effective action in fighting the disease. In addition, communication is also needed so that fear and stigma against patients are not too bad.

There are several things that need to be considered when disseminating information about the COVID-19 disease outbreak so as not to cause a bad image to patients, such as:

1. Word selection

One of the important rules in disseminating information about the COVID-19 outbreak, especially regarding infected patients, is the choice of words.

Words may not change reality, but they can change the way people perceive facts and see the world around them. A word or two can make a pretty big difference between liking and hating that person.

When talking about COVID-19, certain words, such as suspect patient and isolation may have for some. As a result, negative stereotypes emerge, reinforce false links between disease and other factors, such as race, and spread fear.

Not a few people who are exposed to the wrong choice of this word are not to go to a doctor or undergo quarantine at home when sick. Words then become very important, especially when spreading them on social media.

Therefore, WHO then tried to make rules for disseminating information related to COVID-19 so that there was no bad stigma against patients and those around them.

Choose the mention of the disease

One of the things that need to be considered when choosing the mention of a disease in disseminating information related to the outbreak and COVID-19 patients is the name of the disease.

Before COVID-19 was called the official name, not a few media referred to this outbreak as the Wuhan virus, Asian virus, or the Chinese virus. In fact, the use of the name of a certain race or country in the mention of the name of a disease is not allowed because it can create stereotypes and bad stigma.

Using predefined terms

Apart from mentioning the name of the disease, certain terms related to COVID-19 patients also need to be considered when disseminating information to others.

It is recommended that you use the term patient in a person with COVID-19. It turns out that the use of the word victim or associating them with the COVID-19 case is not recommended.

In addition, WHO also recommends using the words "get" and "infected" for patients who have the disease. It is intended that the use of the words "spread" or "infect" is heard blaming the patient and damaging sympathy for them.

As a result, this has triggered the reluctance of the community to accept treatment and undergo quarantine. Therefore, choosing words when disseminating information related to diseases and COVID-19 patients is quite important because they affect many things.

2. Spread the facts

Disseminating information about COVID-19, especially patient personal information to the wider community, certainly needs to be supported by reliable data.

Providing news or news that is incomplete can cause misunderstandings. All kinds of news reports about COVID-19 that are basic to important, such as transmission, treatment, and ways to prevent viral infection are quite important for the community.

Try to use simple language and reduce the use of medical terms. Generally, social media is quite a popular place to collect health information because it is free and accessible to everyone.

Therefore, disseminating information based on existing facts, especially on social media, turned out to be very useful. This is intended so as not to cause panic over the unsure news.

3. Communicate well

Rumors and information about the wrong disease and condition of COVID-19 patients actually spread faster than news from official institutions. This condition eventually resulted in discriminating against people from areas affected by the outbreak, such as China.

Therefore, it is necessary to communicate well with the public, especially when you often provide news on social media. How to?

One of the things you need to keep in mind when spreading information about a disease outbreak that is grabbing the world's attention is to promote preventive measures.

Then, don't forget to share stories that explain the struggles of a person or group affected by COVID-19. Whether it's health workers at the center of an outbreak or supporting patients who are in the process of healing.

In essence, in disseminating information about the outbreak and COVID-19 patients, there are three things to remember, words, facts, and sympathy.