Social Media Crisis Communication Guidebook for Public Health

The goal of the project was to develop a social media guide for public health based on effective crisis communication during emerging infectious disease strategies and evidence. The guidebook is based on evidence from a scoping review, which systematically mapped the literature on effective social media crisis communication during emerging infectious diseases. From this review, key themes from the literature and gaps in the research were identified. Additionally, the crisis communication of various stakeholders一 including public health, news media, government, science communicators, and brand influencers一were examined for effectiveness and public response across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; as well as engagement and sentiment related to official Facebook communication. The results from the scoping review and the social media-based research provided the basis for the guidebook. Our partner, the Canadian Public Health Association, and our collaborator, the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, were vital to ensuring the relevance of the guidebook and helping to disseminate the guide across Canada.