There are few peer-reviewed publications about public engagement with science that are written by microbiologists; those that exist tend to be a narrative of an event rather than a hypothesis-driven investigation. However, it is relatively easy for experienced scientists to use a scientific method in their approach to public engagement. This short communication describes three public engagement activities hosted by the authors, focused on biofilm control: hand hygiene, plaque control and an externally applied antimicrobial coating. In each case, audience engagement was assessed using quantitative and/or qualitative methods. A critical evaluation of the findings enabled the construction of a public engagement ‘tick list’ for future events that would enable a hypothesis-driven approach with more effective communication activities and more robust evaluation.

中文翻译：

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生物膜控制策略：公众参与。


由微生物学家撰写的关于公众参与科学的同行评审出版物很少；那些存在的往往是对事件的叙述，而不是假设驱动的调查。然而，对于经验丰富的科学家来说，在公众参与中使用科学方法相对容易。这篇简短的通讯描述了作者主办的三项公众参与活动，重点关注生物膜控制：手部卫生、菌斑控制和外用抗菌涂层。在每种情况下，都使用定量和/或定性方法评估受众参与度。对调查结果进行严格评估，为未来事件构建公众参与“清单”，从而实现假设驱动的方法，进行更有效的沟通活动和更稳健的评估。