gms | German Medical Science

Description: The climate emergency and other planetary boundaries that have been transgressed are a pressing threat to human health and health systems. Members of the EbM-Netzwerk must bring our evidence synthesis expertise to the work of supporting effective decision making to adapt to or mitigate their impacts. Because of the multi-level and systemic challenge of this topic, relevant evidence is complex and heterogeneous. Synthesis of this evidence requires appropriate methods that incorporate interdisciplinary approaches.

The objective of the workshop is to introduce participants to the knowledge and skills needed to conduct comprehensive and rigorous evidence syntheses on planetary health and climate-health topics. Participants will gain an understanding of available evidence synthesis methods and will be introduced to the skills needed to conduct their own syntheses. They will also have the opportunity to network with other researchers and practitioners working in the field.

Planned methods: 1) Input: Overview of key concepts and terminology

• Introduction to planetary health, climate change and human health linkages
• Adaptation and mitigation initiatives related to health and health systems

2) Input: Decisions related to conducting a review

• Framing the PICO question
• Search strategies and selecting databases
• Incorporating logic models/conceptual frameworks
• Decisions about scope (lumping versus splitting) and levels of analysis
• Addressing equity considerations
• Establishing a review advisory board

3) Discussion: We will facilitate group work sessions addressing specific issues for designing a protocol on a planetary health or climate-health question. Participants can bring their own topics or work from sample topics provided by the facilitators. The workshop will conclude with a brief discussion of future methods needs for planetary health syntheses.

Competing interests: None.