Motivation for Risk Information Seeking among Hospital Employees in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic: An Organisational Perspective

Yee Chin Law, Jen Sern Tham, Tong Ming Wee, Diyana Nawar Kasimo

Abstract


The outbreak of novel infectious diseases like COVID-19 elicits widespread uncertainty and fear, prompting individuals to seek information from various media channels to protect themselves and their loved ones. However, the factors that motivate hospital employees, who serve as the frontliners in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, to seek COVID-19-related information are still far from understood. Guided by the Risk Information Seeking and Processing (RISP) model, this study aimed to examine the motivational factors that drive hospital employees' risk information-seeking behaviour within the Malaysian context. Through analysis of a proportionate stratified sample size of hospital employees (N=407), this study revealed that information needs, current knowledge, and organisational norms significantly influence hospital employees' intention to seek risk information. These findings contribute to the theoretical development of the RISP model by highlighting the importance of information needs as a prominent factor and underscoring the valuable role of organisational norms in shaping hospital employees' risk information-seeking behaviour within hospital settings. From a practical standpoint, our findings offer valuable insights that can inform communication strategies and enhance organisational support in healthcare environments, particularly in risk management. By considering our results, healthcare institutions can improve their preparedness for future pandemics and strengthen risk communication within Malaysia's healthcare system. Furthermore, this study extends the application of the RISP model and related work within the COVID-19 pandemic, providing pertinent knowledge on risk communication within the healthcare sector.

 

Keywords: COVID-19, hospital employees, Risk Information Seeking and Processing Model, risk information seeking, pandemic preparedness.

 

https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2024-4002-10


Full Text:

PDF

References


Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

Atkin, C. K. (1972). Anticipated communication and mass media information-seeking. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 188–99.

Babiker, A., Husseini, M. E., Nemri, A. A., Frayh, A. A., Juryyan, N. A., Faki, M. O., Assiri, A., Saadi, M. A., Shaikh, F., & Zamil, F. A. (2014). Health care professional development: working as a team to improve patient care. Sudanese Journal of Paediatrics, 14(2), 9–16.

Bento, A. I., Nguyen, T., Wing, C., Lozano-Rojas, F., Ahn, Y. Y., & Simon, K. (2020). Evidence from internet search data shows information-seeking responses to news of local COVID-19 cases. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(21), 11220–11222. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2005335117

Berger, C. R., & Calabrese, R. J. (1975). Some explorations in initial interaction and beyond: Toward a developmental theory of interpersonal communication. Human Communication Research, 1, 99–112.

Billings, J., Seif, N. A., Hegarty, S., Ondruskova, T., Soulios, E., Bloomfield, M., & Greene, T. (2021) What support do frontline workers want? A qualitative study of health and social care workers’ experiences and views of psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS One, 16(9), e0256454. https://doi.org/gngxsx

Brewer, N. T., Weinstein, N. D., Cuite, C. L., & Herrington, J. E. (2004). Risk perceptions and their relation to risk behavior. Annals of Behavioral Medicine: A Publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 27(2), 125–130. https://doi.org/b99f37

Budd, J., Miller, B. S., Manning, E. M., McKendry, R. A., Lampos, V., Cox, I. J., Zhuang, M., Edelstein, M., Rees, G., Emery, V. C., Stevens, M. M., Keegan, N., Short, M. J., Pillay, D., Manley, E., Heymann, D., & Johnson, A. M. (2020) Digital technologies in the public-health response to COVID-19. Nature Medicine, 26, 1183-1192. https://doi.org/ghkftf

Cheah, P. K., Jalloh, M. B., Cheah, P. K., Ongkili, D., Schneiders, M. L., Osterrieder, A., Peerawaranun, P., Waithira, N., Davies, A., Mukaka, M., & Cheah, P. Y. (2023). Experiences, coping strategies and perspectives of people in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Public Health, 23, 1085. https://doi.org/m5w9

Cho, J. (2014). Impacts of information-providers’ perceived cultural backgrounds on information-seeking behaviors: investigation of American employees’ information-seeking behaviors in a Korean multinational corporation in the US. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 14, 66-79. https://doi.org/gjmch9

Choo, C. W. (2017). Seeking and avoiding information in a risky world. Information Research, 22(3), 765. http://InformationR.net/ir/22-3/paper765.html

Chua, Y. P. (2009). Advanced research statistics: Regression test, factor analysis and SEM analysis. McGraw-Hill Education.

Chung, A., & Rimal, R. N. (2016). Social norms: A review. Review of Communication Research, 4, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.12840/issn.2255-4165.2016.04.01.008

Clair, A. S., Finn, F., & Haegeli, P. (2021). Where the rubber of the RISP model meets the road: Contextualizing risk information seeking and processing with an avalanche bulletin user typology. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 66, 102626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102626

Coker, R. J., Hunter, B. M., Rudge, J. W., Liverani, M., & Hanvoravongchai, P. (2011). Emerging infectious diseases in Southeast Asia: Regional challenges to control. Lancet, 377, 599–609. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62004-1

Dillard, J. P., & Carson, C. L. (2005). Uncertainty management following a positive newborn screening for cystic fibrosis. Journal of Health Communication, 10(1), 57–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730590904580

Dryhurst, S., Schneider, C. R., Kerr, J., Freeman, L. J. A., Recchia, G., van der Bles, A. M., Spiegelhalter, D., & van der Linden, S. (2020). Risk perceptions of COVID-19 around the world. Journal of Risk Research, 23(7-8), 995-1006. https://doi.org/gg4j58

Dunwoody, S., & Griffin, R. J. (2015). Risk information seeking and processing model. In H. Cho, T. Reimer & K. A. McComas (Eds.), SAGE handbook of risk communication (Chap. 7, pp. 102-117). SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483387918

Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudes. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.

Falcione, R. L., & Wilson, C. E. (1988). Handbook of organizational communication. Ablex.

Fern-Banks, K. (2007). Crisis communication: A case book approach. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behaviour: An introduction to theory and research. Addison-Wesley.

Ford, J. L., & Stephens, K. K. (2018). Pairing organizational and individual factors to improve employees’ risk responsiveness. Management Communication Quarterly, 32(4), 504-533. http://doi.org/10.1177/0893318918774418

Ford, J. L., Douglas, M., & Barrett, A. K. (2022). The role of pandemic fatigue in seeking and avoiding information on COVID-19 among young adults. Health Communication, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2069211

Ford, N. (2004). Modeling cognitive processes in information seeking: From popper to pask. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 55(9), 769-782. https://doi.org.10.1002/asi.20021

Garfin, D. R., Silver, R. C., & Holman, E. A. (2020). The novel coronavirus (COVID-2019) outbreak: Amplification of public health consequences by media exposure. Health Psychology, 39(5), 355–357. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000875

Griffin, P., McGaw, B., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2012). Assessment and teaching of 21st Century skills. Springer Cham.

Griffin, R. J., Dunwoody, S., & Neuwirth, K. (1999). Proposed model of the relationship of risk information seeking and processing to the development of preventive behaviors. Environmental Research, 80(2), S230–S245. https://doi.org/cfcr6k

Griffin, R. J., Dunwoody, S., & Yang, J. Z. (2013). Linking risk messages to information seeking and processing. Communication Yearbook, 36(1), 323–362. https://doi.org/gm5jzj

Griffin, R. J., Neuwirth, K., Dunwoody, S., & Giese, J. (2004). Information sufficiency and risk communication, Media Psychology, 6(1), 23-61.

Griffin, R. J., Yang, Z., Huurne, E. T., Boerner, F., Ortiz, S., & Dunwoody, S. (2008). After the flood: Anger, attribution, and the seeking of information. Science Communication, 29(3), 285–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547007312309

Hovick, T., Elmore, R., Dahlgren, D., Fuhlendorf, S., & Engle, D. (2014). Evidence of negative effects of anthropogenic structures on wildlife: A review of grouse survival and behaviour. Journal of Applied Ecology, 51(6), 1680-1689. https://doi.org/f6r3n5

Huurne, E. T., & Gutteling, J. (2008). Information needs and risk perception as predictors of risk information seeking. Journal of Risk Research, 11(7), 847-862.

Huurne, E. T., Griffin, R. J., & Gutteling, J. (2009). Risk information seeking among U.S. and Dutch residents. An application of the model of risk information seeking and processing. Science Communication, 31(2), 215-237. https://doi.org/bgc8vp

Ives, J., Greenfield, S., Parry, J. M., Draper, H., Gratus, C., Petts, J. I., Sorell, T., & Wilson, S. (2009). Healthcare workers' attitudes to working during pandemic influenza: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 9, 56. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-9-56

Janmaimool, P. (2017). The role of descriptive social norms, organisational norms and personal norms in explaining solid waste management behaviours in workplaces. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 30(2), 184–198.

Jiang, S., & Lam, C. (2021). Linking nonverbal rapport to health outcome: Testing an organizational pathway model. Health Communication, 38(3), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1957244

Johnson, B. B. (2005). Testing and expanding a model of cognitive processing of risk information. Risk Analysis: An Official Publication of the Society for Risk Analysis, 25(3), 631–650. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6924.2005.00609.x

Joseph, B & Joseph M. (2016). The health of the healthcare workers. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 20(2), 71-72. https://doi.org/gg2n6p

Kahlor, L. (2010). PRISM: A planned risk information seeking model. Health Communication, 25(4), 345-56. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410231003775172

Kahlor, L. A. (2007). An augmented risk information seeking model: The case of global warming. Media Psychology, 10(3), 414–435. https://doi.org/dg36th

Kahlor, L., Dunwoody, S., Griffin, R. J., & Neuwirth, K. (2006). Seeking and processing information about impersonal risk. Science Communication, 28(2), 163–194. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547006293916

Kellens, W., Zaalberg, R., Maeyer, P. D. (2012). The informed society: An analysis of the public’s information-seeking behavior regarding coastal flood risks. Risk Analysis, 32(8), 1369-1381. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6924.2011.01743.x

Kriyantono, R., Kasim, A., Safitri, R., Adila, I., Prasetya, A. B., Febriani, N., Asmara Dewi, W. W., Saleh, A. M., & Said, M. F. (2023). Is social media the top priority for seeking and sharing information about COVID-19 among Indonesian students? Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 39(1), 144-165. https://doi.org/ksdd

Lep, Ž., Babnik, K., & Hacin Beyazoglu, K. (2020). Emotional responses and self-protective behavior within days of the COVID-19 outbreak: The promoting role of information credibility. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1846. https://doi.org/gpgmcv

Li, J., & Zheng, H. (2022). Online information seeking and disease prevention intent during COVID-19 outbreak. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 99(1), 69-88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699020961518

Li, S., Zhai, G., Zhou, S., Fan, C., Wu, Y., & Ren, C. (2017). Insight into the earthquake risk information seeking behavior of the victims: Evidence from Songyuan, China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(3), 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14030267

Lim, J. L., Ong, C. Y., Xie, B., & Low, L. L. (2020). Estimating information seeking-behaviour of public in Malaysia during COVID-19 by using Google Trends. The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences: MJMS, 27(5), 202–204. https://doi.org/m5xb

Liverman C. T., Ingalls, C. E., Fulco, C. E., & Kipen, H. M. (1997). Toxicology and environmental health information resources: The role of the National Library of Medicine. National Academies Pres.

Maggio, L. A., Cate, O. T., Moorhead, L. L., van Stiphout, F., Kramer, B. M., Ter Braak, E., Posley, K., Irby, D., & O’Brien, B. C. (2014). Characterizing physicians’ information needs at the point of care. Perspectives on Medical Education, 3(5), 332–342. https://doi.org/m5xc

Mazlan, A., & Adzharuddin, N. A., Omar, S. Z., & Tamam, E. (2021). Online health information seeking behavior of non-communicable disease (NCD) among government employees in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 37, 419-433. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2021-3701-24

McComas, K. A. (2006). Defining moments in risk communication research: 1996–2005. Journal of Health Communication, 11, 75–91.

Mohamad, E., Tham, J. S., Ayub, S. H., Hamzah, M. R., Hashim, H., Azlan, A. A. (2020) Relationship between COVID-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the Malaysian public: Cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(11), e23922. https://www.jmir.org/2020/11/e23922

Nguyen, P. D., Dang, C. X., & Nguyen, L. D. (2015). Would better earning, work environment, and promotion opportunity increase employee performance? An investigation in State and other sectors in Vietnam. Public Organization Review, 15, 565-579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-014-0289-4

Noh, G. Y., Lee, S. Y., & Choi, J. (2016). Exploring factors influencing smokers' information seeking for smoking cessation. Journal of Health Communication, 21(8), 845–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2016.1177140

Parsons, S., Harding, G., Breen, A., Foster, N., Pincus, T., Vogel, S., & Underwood, M. (2007). The influence of patients' and primary care practitioners' beliefs and expectations about chronic musculoskeletal pain on the process of care: A systematic review of qualitative studies. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 23(1), 91–98. https://doi.org/dq9dhj

Real, K. (2010). Health-related organizational communication: A general platform for interdisciplinary research. Management Communication Quarterly, 24(3), 457–464. https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318910370270

Rimal, R. N., & Lapinski, M. K. (2015). A re-explication of social norms, ten years later. Communication Theory, 25, 393-409. https://doi.org/10.1111/comt.12080

Rimal, R. N., & Real, K. (2003). Understanding the influence of perceived norms on behaviours. Communication Theory, 13(2), 184-203. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/13.2.184

Robson, A., & Robinson, L. (2013). Building on models of information behaviour: Linking information seeking and communication. Journal of Documentation, 69, 169-193.

Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., & Fisher, E. B. (2008). Ecological models of health behavior. Jossey-Bass.

Shaukat, N., Ali, D. M., & Razzak, J. (2020). Physical and mental health impacts of COVID-19 on healthcare workers: A scoping review. International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 13(40), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-020-00299-5

Shen, Z., Zhong, Z., Xie, J., Zhang, Q., & Li, S. (2022). The effects of information-seeking behaviors on risk perception during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional correlational survey. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 15, 1707-1719. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S368537

Shreffler, J., Petrey, J., & Huecker, M. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on healthcare worker wellness: A scoping review. The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 21(5), 1059–1066. https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2020.7.48684

Smith, J. R., Louis, W. R., Terry, D. J., Greenaway, K. H., Clarke, M. R., & Cheng, X. (2012). Congruent or conflicted? The impact of injunctive and descriptive norms on environmental intentions. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(4), 353–361. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2012.06.001

Srivastava, K. C., Shrivastava, D., Chhabra, K. G., Naqvi, W. M., & Sahu, A. (2020). Facade of media and social media during covid-19: A review. International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 11, 142-149. https://doi.org/gng24g

Taber, K. S. (2018). The use of Cronbach’s alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education. Research in Science Education, 48(6), 1273-1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2

Tandoc, E. C., & Lee, J. C. B. (2022). When viruses and misinformation spread: How young Singaporeans navigated uncertainty in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. New Media & Society, 24(3), 778–796. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820968212

Tham, J. S., Ali, A. A. M., & Zhang, T. (2022). Predicting the role of organisational listening and job resources in job engagement. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 38(2), 107-126. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2022-3802-07

Ursachi, G., Horodnic, I., & Zait, A. (2015). How reliable are measurement scales? External factors with indirect influence on reliability estimators. Procedia Economics and Finance, 20, 679–686. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(15)00123-9

Weinstein, N. D. (2000). Perceived probability, perceived severity, and health-protective behavior. Health Psychology, 19(1), 65–74. https://doi.org/dx42b7

Wilson, T. D. (2000). Human information behavior. Informing Science, 3(2), 49-56.

World Health Organization. (2020). COVID-19: Community perceptions in Malaysia. https://communityengagementhub.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/MRCS-Covid-19-Perception-Survery-Report-Round-1.pdf

Yang, Z. J., & Kahlor, L., (2013). What, me worry? The role of affect in information seeking and avoidance. Science Communication, 35, 189-212. https://doi.org/gjd764

Yang, Z. J., Aloe, A. M., & Feeley, T. H. (2014). Risk information seeking and processing model: A meta-analysis. Journal of Communication, 64(1), 20–41. https://doi.org/f57jj5

Yang, Z. J., Liu, Z., & Wong, C. S. J. (2021). Information seeking and information sharing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication Quarterly, 70(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/m5xd

Yang, Z. J., McComas, K. A., Gay, G., & Leonard, J. P., Dannenberg, A. J., & Dillon, H. (2010). Motivation for health information seeking and processing about clinical trial enrollment. Health Communication, 25, 423-36. https://doi.org/cqjzvs

Zhou, S. (2021). Impact of perceived risk on epidemic information seeking during the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. Journal of Risk Research, 24(3-4), 477-491. https://doi.org/m5xf

Zhuang, J. (2023). Whose norms to follow? Effects of social norm specificity on Black Americans' intention to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Health Communication, 38(11), 2350–2358. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2069212


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


e-ISSN: 2289-1528