Ebola crisis in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: student-led community engagement
Ebola crisis in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: student-led community engagement
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DOI：
10.1080/20477724.2020.1754654
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发表时间：
2020-04-19
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Hawkes, Michael T.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Claude, Kasereka Masumbuko;Hawkes, Michael T.
刚果民主共和国东部目前正在发生第二大埃博拉病毒疫情，其特点是未遵守所建议的控制措施。在这种具有挑战性的背景下，值得信赖的地方卫生人员，包括医科学生，可能是有价值的社会动员者。我们报告了一项由学生主导的教育活动，以提高社区对埃博拉病毒病控制工作的认识和参与，并评估了学生和社区的满意度。外展活动于2018年11月进行，涉及600名学生，覆盖了5-1万名社区成员。关键信息包括：“埃博拉病毒存在于布滕博”和“将受感染的家庭成员带到埃博拉治疗室”。医学生（n = 355）和社区参与者（n = 319）对该活动进行了评估。满意度很高：320名（90%）学生认为医学生可以为埃博拉病毒应对工作做出贡献，233名（73%）社区成员认为医学生帮助他们了解了该地区的埃博拉病毒。较低的满意度得分与向当局隐瞒受感染家庭成员的意图（rho = -0.25, p < 0.0001）、否认埃博拉的存在（rho = -0.17, p = 0.0018）以及对应对小组的不信任（rho = -0.11, p = 0.042）相关。学生（77%）和社区成员（71%）都认为，由于外展活动，他们更有动力抗击埃博拉病毒。总之，在埃博拉病毒病流行期间，医学生可以开展令人满意的社区参与和教育活动。作为值得信赖的当地卫生代理人，医科学生可能是建立公众信任与合作的宝贵盟友。
The second largest outbreak of Ebolavirus is currently ongoing in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and is characterized by lack of compliance with recommended control measures. Trusted local health agents, including medical students, may be valuable social mobilizers in this challenging context. We report a student-led educational campaign to increase community awareness and engagement in EVD control efforts, with evaluation of student and community satisfaction. The outreach was conducted in November 2018, involving 600 students and reaching 5-10,000 community members. Key messages included: 'Ebola exists in Butembo' and 'Bring infected family members to the Ebola Treatment Unit.' Medical students (n = 355) and community participants (n = 319) evaluated the campaign. Satisfaction was high: 320 (90%) students agreed that medical students could contribute to the EVD response effort, and 233 (73%) community members agreed that the students had helped them understand Ebola in the area. Lower satisfaction scores were associated with intention to hide infected family member from authorities (rho = -0.25, p < 0.0001), denial of the existence of Ebola (rho = -0.17, p = 0.0018), and mistrust of the response team (rho = -0.11, p = 0.042). Both students (77%) and community members (71%) agreed that they were more motivated to combat Ebola as a result of the outreach. In conclusion, medical students can lead to satisfactory community engagement and educational activities during an EVD epidemic. As trusted local health agents, medical students may be valuable allies in building public trust and cooperation in this epidemic.