Global Cochrane Convenes summit calls for urgent increase in accessible evidence to ensure current & future pandemic preparedness

A leading coalition of global health, research and philanthropic organisations has united in an urgent call for future pandemic preparedness and a greater focus on evidence-informed public policy and debate.

Published today, the Cochrane Convenes Report summarises the key findings and recommendations from an international 2021 summit convened by Cochrane, co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), and attended by leading thinkers from COVID-END, the United Nations, health, media, consumer and philanthropic organisations.

‘The Cochrane Convenes summit and today’s report represent an urgent, unified call to action from global leaders across health, research and public policy,’ explains Cochrane’s Editor in Chief, Dr Karla Soares-Weiser.

‘By assessing diverse global evidence needs and usage throughout the pandemic, we have identified the critical gaps, inequities and issues that must be addressed to strengthen our preparedness for current and future global health emergencies.’

‘We know the COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to three major challenges,’ Dr Soares-Weiser explains. ‘Firstly, there are significant, ongoing equity issues in the way relevant evidence is produced and made accessible across low, middle and high income countries.’

‘Secondly - compounding this first problem - governments, scientists and the research community have often struggled to communicate critical findings, convey uncertainties or gain trust in the available evidence in the rapidly shifting Covid-19 environment. The result is a global infodemic that urgently needs to be countered with trusted, accessible and scientifically-sound health information.’

‘And thirdly, current scientific methods, tools and processes have been pushed to their limits in trying to answer questions at the speed demanded. Thousands of studies are published each month - many of low quality that use flawed methods and questionable data. What we fundamentally need instead, is well funded, independent, trusted evidence produced with scientific rigour that is relevant and accessible worldwide.’

So how to address these challenges? This is where Cochrane Convenes comes in, delivering key recommendations and a worldwide call to action focused on:

• Building support and capacity for evidence gathering and research synthesis units in low and middle-income countries

• Investing in more proactive and effective science communication that can convey facts and findings -as well as uncertainty - in a way people can access and understand

• Strengthening and streamlining research tools, methods and processes to facilitate a rapid and relevant evidence response to the next global health emergency.

• Advocating for funders to resource and support urgent national and international research needs, clear communication campaigns, networks and infrastructure, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

This represents a new global effort that all participants in Cochrane Convenes are committed to furthering as a collective, and in the work of their respective organisations.

As Dr John Grove of WHO’s Science Division said:

‘WHO, with our clear global mandate, will continue to bring focus to the priority questions, design what is most relevant for countries, combat misinformation, push for reducing inequities of access to the best science, and redouble activities to lead and coordinate these aspects of the response. Our main platform will continue to be building out a living approach to guidance development and implementation.’

Similarly, Cochrane, Cochrane Australia and the Australian Living Evidence Consortium look forward to participating in, contributing to and building on this important initiative throughout 2022 and beyond.

For more information:

• Visit the Cochrane Convenes website

• Download the Cochrane Convenes Full Report or Quick Summary

• Visit the Australian Living Evidence Consortium website