A user-centred design approach to communicating complexity and uncertainty for the formation of infectious diseases health policy

Research team

• Associate Professor Jodie McVernon, MDHS, UoM

• Dr Nicholas Geard,MDHS, UoM

• Dr James McCaw, MDHS, UoM

• Associate Professor Matt Duckam, Engineering, UoM

• Dr Susanne Bleisch, Engineering, UoM

• Professor Fernando Martin- Sanchez, MDHS, UoM

• Dr Guillermo Lopez-Campos, MDHS, UoM

• Dr Joshua Ross, University of Adelaide

• Dr Jenny Firman, Office of Health Protection, DoHA

Project summary

Mathematical models are increasingly used to help policy makers decide among alternative strategies to mitigate the burden of emerging infectious diseases. These decisions must frequently be made in the face of uncertainty about both the severity of novel pathogens, and the likely utility of interventions to reduce health sector and societal impacts.

Modelling approaches provide frameworks within which to explore these uncertainties, but their outputs are often complex. Accurate and comprehensible communication of model outputs is challenging, but essential for enabling policy makers to make informed and effective decisions.

This project builds capacity in the communication of complexity and uncertainty by forging new collaborations among experts in modelling, visualisation, knowledge management and decision support. It involves key policy advisers in the Department of Health and Ageing in a user-centred design approach to collaboratively explore and evaluate novel approaches to conveying information.