Contributed to ten method topic areas that contribute to improved review quality, efficiency, or uptake

  1. We published the report of the Buddies programme, that helped delineate more clearly the complexities of using evidence in policy influence. This will help inform expectations of researchers-who often consider policy rather simplistically-and may help with more nuanced interactions with policy makers. This is counted in the log frame representing “improved review uptake”.

    In addition, we published a ground-breaking synthesis of qualitative research in Africa on adherence to antiretroviral medication. In the past, we have only examined randomised controlled trials and thus the synthesis world in adherence consists of small, technical interventions. We hope this review will help lead the way in more deeper understanding of health care delivery.
     
  2. WHO guidance for refugees in camps: systematic review. We supported an individual to conduct a review examining the evidence to decision-making approach in the WHO in relation to humanitarian disasters, with a focus on refugees in camps. This is part of a longer-term strategy to help further develop the evidence to decision making process in WHO, to make it more tailored to circumstances.
     
  3. Variation in the observed effect of Xpert MTB/RIF testing for tuberculosis on mortality: a systematic review and analysis of trial design considerations. Most studies evaluating the effect of Xpert MTB/RIF testing for tuberculosis concluded that it did not reduce overall mortality compared to usual care. The author team conducted a systematic review to assess whether key study design and execution features contributed to earlier identification of patients with TB and decreased pre-treatment loss to follow-up, thereby reducing the potential impact of Xpert MTB/RIF testing.
     
  4. ARRIVE guidelines 2.0 (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) are a checklist of recommendations to improve the reporting of research involving animals – maximising the quality and reliability of published research, and enabling others to better scrutinise, evaluate and reproduce it. CIDG Co-ordinating Editor Paul Garner provided input to the updated guidelines, published July 2020, and was also a member of the author team of the below other peer reviewed PLOS Biology publication related to the ARRIVE Guidelines 2.0: Reporting animal research: Explanation and elaboration for the ARRIVE guidelines 2.0. PLoS Biol 18(7): e3000411. 
     
  5. Enhancing Public Health Systematic Reviews with Diagram Visualization. Read more about this publication on the READ-It website.
     
  6. Testing for saturation in qualitative evidence syntheses: An update of HIV adherence in Africa (PLoS ONE: Rohwer A, Hendricks L, Oliver S, Garner P, October 2021)
     
  7. Malaria bed nets work (letter: Economist: Fiennes C, Garner P. October 2021)
     
  8. GRADE Guidance 24. Optimizing the integration of randomized and non-randomized studies of interventions in evidence syntheses and health guidelines (Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, Carlos A. Cuello-Garcia, Nancy Santesso, Rebecca L. Morgan, Jos Verbeek, et al, February 2022)
     
  9. Should all pregnant women take calcium supplements in Nepal? GRADE evidence to policy assessment was published in Global Health Action (October 2022) which is a nice illustration of the evidence to decision-making process (BNMT and CIDG partners authored this review).
     
  10. Air and surface sampling for monkeypox virus in a UK hospital: an observational study paper was published in Lancet Microbe (Gould S, Atkinson B, Onianwa O, Spencer A, Furneaux J, Grieves J, Taylor C, Milligan I, Bennett A, Fletcher T, Dunning J, October 2022). The study data show contamination in isolation facilities and potential for suspension of monkeypox virus into the air during specific activities. Personal protective equipment (PPE) contamination was observed after clinical contact and changing of bedding. Contamination of hard surfaces in doffing areas supports the importance of cleaning protocols, PPE use, and doffing procedures.