Crisis Management and

Prevention

Creating calm at the centre of the

storm
 Qualities of a crisis?

„ Unexpected series of events

„ Things seem out of control
„ Threat to existing situation
„ Outcome is uncertain
„ Usually things happen very fast
„ Opportunity! OPPORTUNITY!
 What happens in a
crisis?

„ Communications are severely tested

„ High degree of uncertainty
„ Bad decisions may get made
„ Great deal of pressure on organizations to provide
accurate, timely information to the mass media
 How does a crisis arise?

„ Research report in national or medical

press
„ Media gets it before you do
„ You have not done your job
„ You were not truthful and were found out
„ Scandal or rumours
 Can you think of Examples in
your own setting?
„ Regulatory/ Pharmacovigilance Crises
– Regulatory decisions made in other
countries
– Cluster of serious ADRs in country
„ Public Health Crises
– Epidemics and natural disasters
„ Clinical Setting Crisis
– Lack of stock of essential medicines in
hospital
 Preparing for Crises
„ Don’t wait until a crisis happens to have a crisis
management plan in place
„ Establish a crisis management team beforehand
„ Assign budget and resources for crisis
„ Assign roles and responsibilities of individuals or
departments beforehand
„ Identify a single spokesperson
„ Assign a co-ordinator
„ Assign a single spokesperson!
 Crisis Communication Plan
„ Same steps as any other planning process

„ Compressed time scales apply

„ Inclusive planning and action critical

– Start investigating and correcting the problem as soon
as possible!!

„ Communication not an isolated exercise. Part of

broader action plan
 Know your enemy!
„ What is the nature of the crisis?
» Drug linked to adverse event or not?
» How soon will facts be available?
» What is the damage potential?
„ What is the nature of the rumour?
» Where does it come from?
» What objective conditions give rise to it?
» Who is likely to be affected by it?
 Know your allies
„ Communication works within a system – an
ACTION system
„ People within this system are natural allies
„ Think laterally about additional alliances
„ Questions
„ How good are your links with your allies?
„ Do you have an inclusive way of working?
„ Can you build these in a crisis?
 Some techniques to consider
„ Mass media: Are they open to your
message? What are risks of
further distortion?
„ Advocacy: Getting the powerful on side?
„ Advertising: Will this increase credibility?
„ Social mobilisation: Do you have time and
resources?
 Build sound foundations
„ Don’t let the feeling of “crisis” derail your
thoroughness around:
» Putting your action system together
» Achieving common understanding of problem
» Common understanding of strategy and action plan
» Situating communication within strategy & action

CLEAR messages should result from above

These are your GREATEST ASSET
 Define responsibilities
„ Who provides the information?

„ Who coordinates contact with media,

stakeholders?

„ Who speaks to the media and public?

 Clear principles for
communication
„ The facts dictate the messages. Stick to the
facts!

„ Take charge of your news – even if it’s bad

news

„ Accountability is more important than a

“clean” image
 Preventing Crises
„ Good operational systems minimise crises
„ Improve communications with stakeholders
„ Ensure transparency,equity and
accountability of all decisions and actions
with regards to risks of medicines
„ Proper documentation and record-keeping
„ Good public relations
„ How do you think we can avoid crises?