FDA Issues Strategic Plan for Risk Communication

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued its Strategic Plan for Risk Communication outlining the agency’s efforts to disseminate more meaningful public health information. The plan also lays out a framework for providing information about FDA-regulated products to health care professionals, patients and consumers, and oversight of industry communications.

The plan defines three key areas – FDA’s science base, its operational capacity and its policy and processes – in which strategic actions can help improve its communication about the risks and benefits of regulated products. The plan also identifies over 70 specific actions for the FDA to take over the next five years, including 14 that the agency commits to accomplishing over the next year, including:

• designing a series of surveys to assess the public’s understanding of, and satisfaction with, FDA communications about medical products. 
• producing a research agenda for public dissemination.
• creating and maintaining a useful, easily accessible internal database of FDA and other relevant risk communication research.
• developing a “library” of multi-media communications on safe food practices for general education and use with food-contamination crisis communication.
• posting pictures of FDA- regulated products affected by Class I or high-priority Class II recalls.

The plan reflects the FDA’s belief that risk communications must be adapted to the needs of different audiences and should be evaluated to ensure effectiveness. It also focuses on improving two-way communication through enhanced partnerships with government and non-government organizations, and focuses on policies that affect areas of high public health impact.

More information is available at FDA.