A post-PHEIC review of cultural awareness in the COVID-19 response.

OBJECTIVES

The PHEIC status of COVID-19 was officially lifted by the WHO on May 5, 2023. However, many nations continue to grapple with its impacts, particularly those that have not fully embraced the emergency culture. This study aims to explore ways to enhance emergency culture that rose during the COVID-19 response, ultimately contributing to effective pandemic management.

METHODS

A systematic literature review, including the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram and checklist, was used to compare cultural unawareness with cultural awareness across six nations: Japan, Sweden, South Africa, the United States, Brazil, and Australia.

RESULTS

To varying degrees, all six nations exhibited cultural unawareness during their COVID-19 responses, which manifested in issues such as personal responsibilities, herd immunity, inequalities, individualism, economic priorities, language barriers, and other factors.

CONCLUSION

These six nations must adaptively transform their cultural unawareness into cultural awareness while enhancing leadership, communication, cultural competence, emergency preparedness, and international cooperation. This study offers a comprehensive perspective on the emergency culture surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, emphasizing the critical importance of cultural awareness.