Evaluation of Health Product Risk Communication Tools

To enhance the effectiveness of health product risk communications, a systematic evaluation was requested to assess the performance of key instruments used to disseminate safety and efficacy information. The aim was to support efforts under the Evaluating the Effectiveness of Risk Communications (EERC) initiative by identifying methodologies and metrics that could measure how well these tools reach their intended audience, how clearly messages are conveyed, and what impact they have on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours.

The scope of work focused on three principal communication tools: Dear Healthcare Professional Letters (DHPLs), Notices to Hospitals (NtoHs), and Public Communications (PCs). RSI was tasked with analyzing existing data provided by the client—such as website traffic, adverse event reports, and prescribing patterns—and generating new data through surveys and focus groups targeting both the public and healthcare professionals. The overall goal was to evaluate the utility of various methods and metrics, approximately 13 in total, that could support the measurement of dissemination reach, clarity of content, and impact on decision-making.

The work required the application of both qualitative and quantitative methods, including interrupted time-series analysis, suitability assessments of communication materials, usability testing, and comparisons with international regulatory counterparts. The resulting evaluation was intended to inform a long-term strategy for improving health product risk communication practices, establishing a validated and repeatable framework for performance measurement within the Canadian regulatory context.