Internal Crisis Communication in Hospitals the Choice of Communication Channels and Its Impact on Effectiveness

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for effective internal crisis communication (ICC) in hospitals. However, only little is known about how the choice of communication channels influences the effectiveness of ICC. Our case study offers novel insights into this relationship. We performed an in-depth analysis of ICC during the COVID-19 pandemic at a Norwegian tertiary public hospital. We conducted 22 in-depth interviews with stakeholders from various hierarchical levels who actively participated in ICC. We mapped the relationships of the actors involved in ICC and performed a social network analysis. The emergency reorganization of the hospital made ICC processes more complex compared to the ordinary line structure of communication, and on lower hierarchical levels several redundant (and not necessarily officially approved) communication channels were used. Moreover, we found that the effectiveness of ICC was reduced by communication channels with speed and bandwidth limits. In contrast, communication channels with a high capability to transmit contextualized information improved the effectiveness of ICC. Since our case hospital shares common characteristics with many other tertiary public hospitals, including fragmentation of responsibilities during crisis response, we use our results as a basis for recommending appropriate communication channels and avoiding a decoupling of ICC between hierarchical levels and professions.