The webinar will include an introduction to COVID-END and an overview of how COVID-END’s resources can support you in your response to COVID-19. With tips, tools, and a guide to evidence sources for both researchers and decision-makers, COVID-END has something for everyone.

1. Thursday, July 9, 2020Dr. Maureen Dobbins, RN, PhD
COVID-19 Evidence Network to support Decision-making
(COVID-END): Resources to Support the COVID-19
Response

2. Housekeeping
• We are testing a new webinar platform
• Connection issues
• We recommend using a wired Internet
Connection
• If you are experiencing technical issues
please send a private message to admin
• Use chat to post questions and/or
comments throughout the webinar
• Post your questions in the public chat box
• Send questions about technical
difficulties in a private chat to admin
• Polling

3. After Today
After the webinar, access the recording (in English) at
www.youtube.com/nccmt and slides in English and French at
www.slideshare.net/NCCMT/presentations.

4. Poll Question 1
How many people are watching today’s session with you?
A) Just Me
B) 2-3
C) 4-5
D) 6-10
E) >10

5. Poll Question 2
Have you visited the National Collaborating Centre for Methods
and Tools’ website or used its resources before?
A) Yes
B) No

6. Poll Question 3
If you stated YES on the previous question, how many times have
you used the NCCMT’s resources?
A) Once
B) 2-3 times
C) 4-10 times
D) 10+ times

8. NCCMT Products and Services
Registry of Methods and Tools
Online Learning
Opportunities
WorkshopsVideo Series
Public Health+
Networking and
Outreach

9. Dr. Maureen Dobbins, RN PhD
Scientific Director, National Collaborating
Centre for Methods and Tools
Professor, School of Nursing, McMaster
University
Presenter

10. Outline
• Overview of the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools
(NCCMT) COVID-19 Response
• Rapid Review Repository
• Rapid Evidence Service
• Introduction to COVID-END
• Purpose
• Resources available

11. Rapid Review Repository
• Purpose: encourage
collaboration and reduce
duplication in rapid reviews
being conducted on COVID-
19.
• Features: in-progress and
completed reviews, open text
search bar and filters
• Can be accessed here -
https://www.nccmt.ca/knowled
ge-repositories/covid-19-
evidence-reviews

12. Rapid Evidence Service
• Answering priority COVID-19 questions
• Supporting federal, provincial/territorial, and local COVID-19 public
health response
• Eighteen reviews completed
• Features: rigorous literature search, summary of the key points and
knowledge gaps, appraisal of the methodological quality of the
evidence
• Access the Service here, https://www.nccmt.ca/knowledge-
repositories/covid-19-rapid-evidence-service
• Send questions to nccmt@mcmaster.ca

13. Top Ten Insights Into How COVID-END Can Help You
Support Decision-making
John N. Lavis, MD PhD, Co-Lead, COVID-END;
Director, McMaster Health Forum; and Professor, McMaster University
Jeremy Grimshaw, MBChB PhD, Co-Lead, COVID-END;
Senior Scientist, OHRI; and Professor, University Of Ottawa

14. Background
 COVID-END is a time-limited network that has come together in response to an ‘exogenous
shock’ (COVID-19) to collaboratively advance the evidence ecosystem in a way that:
 Makes the most of an explosion of interest in and demand for evidence synthesis (in part by
reducing the noise-to-signal ratio)
 Makes the evidence ecosystem even more robust and resilient in future
 Strengthens existing institutions and processes
14

16. Background (2)
 Three of the seven principles that underpin COVID-END’s work
 Supporting (not competing with or replacing) well-positioned organizations that are
working in close partnership with key target audiences and already responding to their
evidence needs
 Supporting – with a common brand/identity, small agile secretariat, and simple working group
structure – a distributed network of organizations and individuals to play to their
comparative advantages and leverage one another’s work
 Seeking out quick wins for those supporting decision-makers and among those involved in
preparing evidence syntheses, technology assessments and guidelines, and taking
measured steps to longer-term solutions that can better support decision-makers
16

17. Overview of How COVID-END Can Help
1) Website
2) Guide
3) Tips and tools
4) Taxonomy
5) Innovative model 1: Rapid evidence profile
6) Innovative model 2: Evidence contextualization service
7) Working groups
8) Working group achievements coming online
9) Listserv
10) Insert your idea here
11) Bonus!
17

18. 1. Website
 We’ve structured our website (https://www.covid-end.org) to meet the needs of two target
audiences
 Those supporting decision-makers (e.g., evidence shop at WHO, ministry staff, groups like
RISE and EVIPNet)
 Researchers (e.g., the many groups doing duplicative daily searches, the many groups doing
duplicative rapid reviews, etc.)
18

19. 2. Guide
 We created a guide to COVID-19 evidence sources for those supporting decision-makers
(who just need pointing to the high-quality, high-yield links), which we’ve called the guide
to key COVID-19 evidences sources
19

20. 3. Tips and Tools
 We’ve drafted and continue to revise tips and tools
 Tips and tools for those supporting decision-makers
• Two of the tips are about making sure you have the right team and relationships in
place (on demand and supply sides)
• Six of the tips focus on creating the right processes to respond to requests from
decision-makers (start with the guide, look for quality-rated products, document the
recency of the search)
• Two of the tips relate to the right balance between being reactive and proactive
20

21. 4. Taxonomy
 We’ve created a four-part taxonomy of decisions related to COVID-19
 Public-health measures (infection prevention and control as well as
broader measures)
 Clinical management of COVID-19 and related health issues (e.g.,
unmanaged chronic conditions, mental health issues, family
violence)
 Health-system arrangements (e.g., how to re-start ambulatory
clinics, cancer treatments, and elective procedures, how to maintain
and build on the gains achieved with virtual care)
 Economic and social responses (e.g., education, financial
protection, food safety & security, housing, recreation,
transportation)
21

22. 4. Taxonomy (2)
 The taxonomy is a work in progress that can help to:
 Curate existing evidence syntheses, technology assessments, and guidelines (we are
exploring the possibility of creating a single searchable portal using the taxonomy as filters)
 Inform the prioritization of the questions that need to be answered as issues emerge
 Inform the prioritization of evidence syntheses, technology assessments and guidelines that
should be kept up to date for the foreseeable future
 Inform the prioritization of evidence syntheses, technology assessments and guidelines that
are likely to be needed at some point in future phases of the pandemic and pandemic
response
22

23. 5. Innovative Model 1: Rapid Evidence Profiles
 We’ve piloted a rapid-evidence model that can be used or adapted in any jurisdiction to describe
– in a three-hour turn-around time – both evidence and innovations to inform a particular
decision
 Three of ten examples (with the full list here)
• What screening approaches can be used in non-healthcare settings (e.g., universities,
stores and office settings) to identify people who may have COVID-19 and need to take
appropriate action?
• What are the international lessons learned from re-opening non-COVID-19 activities in
hospitals?
• What is known about strategies for supporting the use of masks under shortage
conditions to prevent COVID-19?
23

24. 6. Innovative Model 2: Contextualization Service
 We’ll soon be piloting an evidence-contextualization model that can be used or adapted in any
jurisdiction to engage local experts in interpreting what the research evidence means for your
context
 Rather than rely on them as a substitute for finding and using the best available research
evidence
24

25. 7. Working Groups
 We’ve convened working groups to achieve and document quick wins and establish processes
to achieve and document longer-term wins
 Scoping where support and coordination is most needed and what principles should underpin such support and coordination
 Engaging those already supporting decision-makers to work in more coordinated and efficient ways
 Digitizing as many aspects of the work as possible to facilitate coordination and capture efficiencies
 Synthesizing the evidence that already exists in ways that are more coordinated and efficient and that balance quality and timeliness
 Recommending evidence-based approaches in ways that are more coordinated and efficient and that balance quality and timeliness
 Packaging evidence and guidelines in ways that meet the needs of citizens, providers, policymakers and researchers in different
contexts and languages
 Sustaining the efforts that strengthen institutions and processes so that we are even better prepared for future challenges
25

26. 8. Working Group Achievements Coming Online
 Engaging
 Identified 20+ networks globally that we’ll be regularly engaging
 Digitizing
 Soliciting input on greatest barriers (where digitization may help)
 Synthesizing
 Revising and adding to the tips and tools for researchers
 Recommending
 Moving towards a global guidance repository (w/ quality ratings)
 Packaging
 Drafted principles and resource list to support evidence packaging
26

27. 9. Listserv
 We’ll soon by launching a listserv for a community of practice among those who are supporting
decision-making about COVID-19
27

28. Background & objective – Engaging Working Group
 Goal of our WG is to: engage with institutions and people supporting decision-makers and
provide them with information, tools and resources to facilitate a timely response to decision
makers’ needs.
 One of our mechanisms is creating a platform for engagement beyond the COVID-END partners
to facilitate discussions and exchange on supporting decision-makers to use evidence in their
COVID-19 response:
 Launch of the COVID-END community listserv on JISC
 Audience: COVID-END partners, but, more importantly, COVID-END community
 A community of researchers and decision-makers committed to support sharing and co-ordination in
order to enhance an efficient and equitable COVID-19 evidence response
 You helped us identify the core of this community over the last weeks
28

29. Next steps
 Sign-up is open to COVID-END partners (see next slide)
 We appreciate test messages (and any other thoughts & suggestions) during the phase
of soft launch until 17 July.
 We will start to set up the first two structured discussion topics in collaboration with
other working groups in preparation for the formal launch on 20 July.
 Gradually adding colleagues from priority networks and organizations that have opted-
in the listserv already over the next week.
 Formal launch / full opening of the listserv on 20 July.

30. Key links
 Sign-up: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=COVIDEND&A=1
 Find the listserv home page: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/COVIDEND
 Send a message for discussion: COVIDEND@JISCMAIL.AC.UK

31. 10. Insert Your Idea Here
 We’re open to additional suggestions about what else we can do
31

32. 11. Bonus!
 Interactive flow diagram for researchers
conducting COVID-19 evidence syntheses
 Click on each step for more information,
https://www.mcmasterforum.org/networks/covid-
end/resources-for-researchers/interactive-flow-
diagram
 Key steps – red
 Overarching process – outlined in dark grey
 Key resources – light grey

33. Overview of How COVID-END Can Help
1) Website
2) Guide
3) Tips and tools
4) Taxonomy
5) Innovative model 1: Rapid evidence profile
6) Innovative model 2: Evidence contextualization service
7) Working groups
8) Working group achievements coming online
9) Listserv
10) Insert your idea here
11) Bonus!
33

34. Questions?

35. Share your story!
• Are you using EIDM in your practice? We want to hear about it!
• Email us: nccmt@mcmaster.ca
• Need support for EIDM? Contact us for help!
• Email us: nccmt@mcmaster.ca
• We typically respond within 24 business hours
35

36. Webinar Feedback
Your responses will be kept anonymous.
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following
1. Participating in the webinar increased my knowledge and understanding of evidence-informed decision making.
2. I will use the tools/methods from today’s webinar in my own practice.
3. Which of the following statements apply to your experience with the webinar today (check all that apply):
□ The webinar was relevant to me and my public health practice
□ The webinar was effectively facilitated
□ The webinar had opportunities to participate
□ The webinar was easy to follow along
□ The webinar met my expectations
4. Can we contact you in the future to discuss how the NCCMT can improve its webinar series?
□ Yes
□ No
5. If yes, please provide your name and email address:
Strongly agree Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree
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37. Webinars from the NCCMT
Learn more about our webinars:
http://www.nccmt.ca/capacity-development/webinars
37

38. For more information:
NCCMT website: www.nccmt.ca
Contact: nccmt@mcmaster.ca