Optimizing communication of acute respiratory infection surveillance: insights from user feedback

Problem

Surveillance is essential for infectious disease control, with communication to professionals and the public as a key action. In recent years, the amount of surveillance data has increased steadily in the Netherlands. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment publishes weekly online updates on acute respiratory infections and respiratory pathogens, including influenza virus, RSV and SARS-CoV-2. It is important to ensure that these webpages meet the needs of users in terms of content, timing, and visualization.

Description of the problem

From June to August 2025, interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals and journalists. Journalists were invited because they use surveillance information to inform the public. The interviews aimed to identify information needs, assess data accessibility, and explore opportunities to improve visualization.

Results

Both journalists and professionals appreciated the availability of data and valued weekly updates. While they found the webpages easy to access and navigate, they expressed a preference for uniform layouts, including consistent structure, concise overview of the current situation, and standardized figure layouts and titles. Both groups emphasized that more information is not necessarily better. Professionals prioritized information on the current situation and seasonal trends, and preferred figures organized by respiratory season. In contrast, journalists sought more contextual information, notable extremes, and preferred figures presented by calendar year.

Lessons

Implementing standardized layouts and focusing on essential content will support more effective communication. At the same time, it remains challenging to ensure that presented data meets the diverse needs of website users. These results underscore the importance of involving end-users in the development and evaluation of public health communication tools.

Key messages

• Standardized layouts and focusing on essential content can improve online communication of the increasing amount of surveillance data, but it remains challenging to meet the diverse needs of users.

• Involving end-users is highly important in developing and evaluating public health communication tools.