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BackgroundInformation disclosure is a top priority for official responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The timely and standardized information published by authorities as a response to the crisis can better inform the public and enable better preparations for the pandemic; however, there is limited evidence of any systematic analyses of the disclosed epidemic information. This in turn has important implications for risk communication. ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe and compare the officially released content regarding local epidemic situations as well as analyze the characteristics of information disclosure through local communication in major cities in China. MethodsThe 31 capital cities in mainland China were included in this city-level observational study. Data were retrieved from local municipalities and health commission websites as of March 18, 2020. A checklist was employed as a rapid qualitative assessment tool to analyze the information disclosure performance of each city. Descriptive analyses and data visualizations were produced to present and compare the comparative performances of the cities. ResultsIn total, 29 of 31 cities (93.5%) established specific COVID-19 webpages to disclose information. Among them, 12 of the city webpages were added to their corresponding municipal websites. A majority of the cities (21/31, 67.7%) published their first cases of infection in a timely manner on the actual day of confirmation. Regarding the information disclosures highlighted on the websites, news updates from local media or press briefings were the most prevalent (28/29, 96.6%), followed by epidemic surveillance (25/29, 86.2%), and advice for the public (25/29, 86.2%). Clarifications of misinformation and frequently asked questions were largely overlooked as only 2 cities provided this valuable information. The median daily update frequency of epidemic surveillance summaries was 1.2 times per day (IQR 1.0-1.3 times), and the majority of these summaries (18/25, 72.0%) also provided detailed information regarding confirmed cases. The reporting of key indicators in the epidemic surveillance summaries, as well as critical facts included in the confirmed case reports, varied substantially between cities. In general, the best performance in terms of timely reporting and the transparency of information disclosures were observed in the municipalities directly administered by the central government compared to the other cities. ConclusionsTimely and effective efforts to disclose information related to the COVID-19 epidemic have been made in major cities in China. Continued improvements to local authority reporting will contribute to more effective public communication and efficient public health research responses. The development of protocols and the standardization of epidemic message templates—as well as the use of uniform operating procedures to provide regular information updates—should be prioritized to ensure a coordinated national response.

Effective nurse-child communication is a fundamental aspect of delivering pediatric nursing care. Family caregivers' global ratings to hospital are considered a proxy-reported measure for assessing a child's inpatient stay experience. We investigate the associations between nurse-child communication and family caregivers' global ratings to hospital. A retrospective analysis of a national child patient experience survey data was conducted. Patient experience with nurse-child communication and the family caregivers' global ratings of hospital were measured using the Child Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems. Hierarchical linear models were constructed to examine the association between nurse-child communication measures and family caregivers' global ratings to hospital. Data from 1010 patients at six National Regional Centers for Pediatric in China were collected. The overall rating of hospitals and the willingness to recommend the hospital showed increasing trends as the nurse-child communication score increased. How often nurses encourage children to ask questions was significantly associated with family caregivers' overall ratings of hospital and the family caregivers' willingness to recommend the hospital. Effective communication by nurses with the child is associated with significantly higher global ratings to the hospital by family caregivers during inpatient care. Encouraging children to ask questions is a promising contributor to caregivers' global ratings to hospital. Pediatric nurses should emphasis encouraging children to ask questions for effective communication in nursing practice. Future research is also needed to develop more targeted strategies to assist pediatric nurse to communicate with child better. • Effective nurse-child communication plays a crucial role in shaping the perceptions and attitudes of family caregivers towards the hospital. • Encouraging children to ask questions would enhance nurses' understanding of child inpatient care and contributes to a higher rating of the hospital by their family caregivers. • It is essential to actively engage with pediatric patients and their families to enhance the inpatient experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]