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Responsiveness

Responsiveness in healthcare affects optimal management, psychological safety, physical safety, customer service and quality. 

Responsiveness is often dropped, or not followed through, or placed as a one-time play. 


When considering others’ places and spaces, healthcare must anticipate that the gaps left by “no reply” get filled in. One way or another, a lack of response gets substituted. Often, misinformation gets deputized.


As healthcare becomes increasingly interested in “infodemics” [1] and misinformation, healthcare must first take responsibility and ownership of responsiveness. 


In others places and spaces, and in healthcare’s own, there must be ownership of: 

 

  • How often concerns are raised to the organization, and to global health, by experts in medical fields? In other fields?


  • How often concerns are raised by general members of the public? 


  • The types of concerns raised


  • Potential algorithms or classifications, so that critical reviews can occur in a timely fashion.


  • Responsible individuals or groups, and how the responsibility is managed.


  • Response time metrics, by follow through and reciprocated communication


  • Response time metrics, by how the cultural considerations should tailor response


  • Training and efforts around anticipatory response, with standards across cultures and tailored aspects for cultures


  • Criteria for advancing a concern or issue to a greater panel? Who determines or facilitates advancement of a concern and how is biased removed from decision-making?


  • Accountability to response failures, including public harm through the public’s definition of harm. 


Allowing a substitute in lieu of response is allowing intentional miscommunication. There should be no expert lecture on infodemics without first accounting for responsiveness.


Responsiveness can be examined with competence to one another’s place and space. This should be an ongoing, evaluated accountability for national and global health agencies.  



  1. https://www.who.int/news/item/01-12-2021-5th-who-infodemic-management-conference-towards-measuring-the-burden-of-infodemic

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