RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Integrating the social sciences into the COVID-19 response in Alberta, Canada
JF BMJ Global Health
JO BMJ Global Health
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e002672
DO 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002672
VO 5
IS 7
A1 Leslie, Myles
A1 Fadaak, Raad
A1 Davies, Jan
A1 Blaak, Johanna
A1 Forest, PG
A1 Green, Lee
A1 Conly, John
YR 2020
UL http://gh.bmj.com/content/5/7/e002672.abstract
AB This paper outlines the rapid integration of social scientists into a Canadian province’s COVID-19 response. We describe the motivating theory, deployment and initial outcomes of our team of Organisational Sociologist ethnographers, Human Factors experts and Infection Prevention and Control clinicians focused on understanding and improving Alberta’s responsiveness to the pandemic. Specifically, that interdisciplinary team is working alongside acute and primary care personnel, as well as public health leaders to deliver ‘situated interventions’ that flow from studying communications, interpretations and implementations across responding organisations. Acting in real time, the team is providing critical insights on policy communication and implementation to targeted members of the health system. Using our rapid and ongoing deployment as a case study of social science techniques applied to a pandemic, we describe how other health systems might leverage social science to improve their preparations and communications.