National Documents Analysis of Risk Communication in Iran: Based on Disaster Risk Management Cycle

Abstract

Background: Risk communication is a complex, multifaceted process that plays a significant role in disaster management. One of the criticisms of Iran's health system risk communication is the existence of legal gaps and deficiencies in upstream documents. Objectives: This research evaluated national documents to identify and assess the legislative gap in health system risk communication. Methods: This research is a gap analysis study using the qualitative content analysis method. National documents from 2002 to 2022 related to disaster management were collected. Documents were entered into the blueprint designed by the researcher and analyzed. Results: In the present study, 58 documents due to disaster management were extracted. After the initial review, 36 documents involving 266 items concentrating on risk communication were included in the research. In initial thematic analysis, 47 approvals due to the mitigation phase (five subcategories of information, education and public awareness, infrastructure development, community engagement, and preparation and maintenance of information systems), 61 approvals due to the preparedness phase (nine subcategories of monitoring, information and maintenance of database, creation and maintenance of network and communication infrastructure, coordination, organizational training, planning, determining level of access to information, communication, monitoring and evaluation), 133 approvals due to the response phase (11 subcategories of information management, informing, communication management, media management, trust building, organization and coordination, appointing a spokesperson, monitoring and control, use and management of social media, content production, and supply and maintenance of equipment and infrastructure), 25 approvals due to the phase of rehabilitation and reconstruction (four subcategories of documentation, information, training, and community engagement). Conclusions: The field of risk communication has been mentioned according to the revision and updating of documents in recent years, but in these documents, many aspects of risk communication were dim; therefore, experts in the field of disaster management should pay more attention to a review of these papers and the creation of a special document on risk communication.