Improving Diffusion of Clinical Care Innovations in Public Health Emergencies

5 Things Influential Emergency Department Clinicians on Digital Media Can Do

Claire E. O'Hanlon, Carl T. Berdahl, Jessica L. Sousa, Mallika Bhandarkar, Shira H. Fischer, Peter Mendel

ResearchPublished Feb 26, 2026

During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, emergency department (ED) clinicians stood on the front lines of an unprecedented crisis. Hospitals were overwhelmed with sick patients, supplies were scarce, and staff shortages were the norm. New evidence about how to treat and manage the virus changed almost daily, making it tough to keep up. But many ED clinicians proved remarkably resourceful amid the chaos. They created and shared new ways to deliver care, with many EDs adopting new approaches almost overnight.

Still, not every ED moved at the same speed. Some identified and implemented these new techniques and treatments more effectively than others. This uneven spread of innovation revealed a critical lesson: In future public health emergencies, spreading knowledge quickly and efficiently can save lives.

This document, one in a series of six, highlights practical strategies for influential ED clinicians with digital media platforms (podcasts, blogs, social media, etc.) to improve how new ideas and solutions spread across health systems before and during a public health emergency.

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O'Hanlon, Claire E., Carl T. Berdahl, Jessica L. Sousa, Mallika Bhandarkar, Shira H. Fischer, and Peter Mendel, Improving Diffusion of Clinical Care Innovations in Public Health Emergencies: 5 Things Influential Emergency Department Clinicians on Digital Media Can Do. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2026. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4441-3.html.
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This work was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and conducted in the Health Services and Outcomes Program of RAND Health.

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