# A multilingual telephone service for crisis communication with migrant groups: Swedish experiences of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

## TL;DR

A multilingual phone service in Sweden helped communicate health information to migrant communities during the pandemic, highlighting the importance of culturally appropriate and accessible communication.

## Contribution

The study provides insights into the practical experiences and challenges of using a multilingual telephone service for crisis communication with migrant groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Key findings

- The most common topic requested by callers was testing for current infection, not general information about the virus.
- Themes identified include trust building through language and culture, managing misinformation, and the need for culturally safe communication.
- The study emphasizes the importance of having communication strategies for vulnerable groups in future health crises.

## Abstract

Migrants living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Sweden were overrepresented among the infected and deceased in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccination coverage was substantially lower, despite being free of charge. The overarching aim of this study was to analyze the experiences of operating a multilingual telephone service for public health crisis communication targeting migrant communities in Sweden during COVID-19. A secondary objectives was to identify specific opportunities and challenges in delivering culturally appropriate health information during a pandemic crisis.

A qualitative design based on in-depth interviews with 12 health communicators staffing the telephone service was used. Additional quantitative descriptive data on the use of the telephone service are provided for context.

The quantitative data revealed that relatively few callers requested basic information about the virus or asked about topics such as where to turn in case of illness. The most common topic was testing for current infection. The thematic analysis identified seven major themes: The rationale behind a multilingual telephone service; the convergence of language, culture, and professional competence in trust building; dialogical dissemination of knowledge; cooperation with other actors and organizations; responding to misinformation and myths; managing emotions, existential concerns, and mental distress; and lessons for future health crisis response.

For dissemination of information about COVID-19 and vaccination to migrants during the pandemic, experiences from the multilingual telephone service point to the value of communication that includes the possibility of dialogue with health professionals in a culturally safe mode using one’s native language. For future health crises, our findings emphasize the importance of having a communication strategy targeting vulnerable groups in place as a part of a comprehensive pandemic plan when the need emerges.

The study protocol has been preregistered on the Open Science Framework (osf.io/rt47j).

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-026-26413-5.