Highlights
- •The public has knowledge about Ebola and is updated on the topic, including scientific issues that are on the agenda, such as the question of Ebola transmission.
- •No statistically significant difference was found between health care workers versus nonhealth care workers in the knowledge and worry score.
- •The public expects information about Ebola from health authorities, including topics of uncertainty.
- •More than half of the participants thought the information provided by health authorities on Ebola and Ebola prevention was insufficient, and almost half were unsure if the information was sufficient.
Background
The unexpected developments surrounding the Ebola virus in the United States provide
yet another warning that we need to establish communication preparedness. This study
examines what the Israeli public knew about Ebola after the initial stages of the
outbreak in a country to which Ebola has not spread and assesses the association between
knowledge versus worries and concerns about contracting Ebola.
Methods
Online survey using Google Docs (Google, Mountain View, CA) of Israeli health care
professionals and the general public (N = 327).
Results
The Israeli public has knowledge about Ebola (mean ± SD, 4.18 ± 0.83), despite the
fact that the disease has not spread to Israel. No statistically significant difference
was found between health care workers versus nonhealth care workers in the knowledge
score. Additionally, no statistically significant association was found between knowledge
and worry levels. The survey indicated that Israelis expect information about Ebola
from the health ministry, including topics of uncertainty. More than half of the participants
thought the information provided by the health ministry on Ebola and Ebola prevention
was insufficient (50.5% and 56.4%, respectively), and almost half (45.2% and 41.1%,
respectively) were unsure if the information was sufficient.
Conclusion
The greatest challenges that the organizations face is not only to convey knowledge,
but also to find ways to convey comprehensive information that reflects uncertainty
and empowers the public to make fact-based decisions about health.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 24, 2015
Footnotes
Funding support: The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no 612236.
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
