The People, Health Systems and Public Health Thematic Group conducts and supports evidence syntheses that address the complex issues that face health systems and public health around the world, by taking a person-centred approach.
About us
Systematic reviews conducted and supported by the People, Health Systems and Public Health Thematic Group aim to strengthen equitable and effective health care for all. Systematic reviews, such as the selected examples below, provide evidence for the following areas.
Improving health within populations
- Collaboration between local health and local government agencies for health improvement: updated review
- Interventions to reduce ambient particulate matter air pollution and their effect on health review
- Slum upgrading strategies and their effects on health and social outcomes review; one-page summary and podcast
- Strategies for enhancing the implementation of school-based policies or practices targeting diet, physical activity, obesity, tobacco or alcohol use: updated review
- Strategies to improve the implementation of healthy eating, physical activity and obesity prevention policies or programmes within childcare services: updated review
- Strategies to improve the implementation of workplace-based policies or practices targeting tobacco, alcohol, diet, physical activity and obesity review
People-centred care
- Consumers' and health providers' views and perceptions of partnering to improve health services design, delivery and evaluation: a co‐produced qualitative evidence synthesis review; clinical summary and podcast
- Communication to promote and support physical distancing for COVID‐19 prevention and control review and podcast
- Interventions for improving health literacy in migrants review
- Decision aids for people facing health treatment of screening decisions review
- Interventions for enhancing medication adherence review
- Personalized care planning for people with chronic conditions review; one-page summary
- Interventions to increase patient and family involvement in escalation of care for acute life‐threatening illness in community health and hospital settings review
- Interventions for improving medical students' interpersonal communication in medical consultations review
- Interventions for improving medication‐taking ability and adherence in older adults prescribed multiple medications review
Re-design of health services
- Interventions to improve the appropriate use of polypharmacy for older people review and podcast
- Lay health workers in primary and community health care for maternal and child health: identification and treatment of wasting in children review
- Quality improvement strategies for diabetes review
- Experiences of conditional and unconditional cash transfers intended for improving health outcomes and health service use: a qualitative evidence synthesis review
- Admission avoidance hospital at home review and podcast
- Factors influencing the implementation of early discharge hospital at home and admission avoidance hospital at home: a qualitative evidence synthesis review and podcast
Ongoing systematic reviews include:
Health improvements within populations
- Health policymakers' views and experiences of knowledge translation approaches to facilitate evidence‐informed decision‐making: a qualitative evidence synthesis protocol
- Interventions implemented through sporting organizations for promoting healthy behaviour or improving health outcomes.
- Knowledge translation strategies for facilitating evidence-informed decision-making amongst health policymakers: amended protocol
Re-design of health services
This Thematic Group brings together expertise from Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care, Cochrane Consumers and Communication, and Cochrane Public Health, groups that have collaborated for many years.
The creation of this Thematic Group enables us to pool and build on our individual areas of expertise in new collaborative ways. A key focus of the group will be to support the systematic uptake and integration of evidence-based interventions into health and public health systems to improve their impacts for individuals and communities globally.
We will draw on a range of disciplines encompassed by the partnering groups including person-centred care, health services research, behavioural and implementation sciences, stakeholder engagement and participatory methods, qualitative research, and quality improvement. This broad focus requires cross-disciplinary expertise as system-level changes to promote better health and health care are influenced by multi-level factors including those related to consumers and providers, organizations, communities and policy and social environments.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight the interconnectedness of health and public health systems and personal, social and environmental contexts. This Thematic Group will facilitate engagement with this cross-cutting agenda.
Our team
- Simon Lewin, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
- Rebecca Ryan, La Trobe University Australia
- Sasha Shepperd, University of Oxford, UK
- Luke Wolfenden, University of Newcastle, Australia
Our plans
To collaborate in providing leadership and expertise to support Cochrane's production of priority syntheses on person-centred care, health and public health systems, and to work towards systems for health that are more effective, equitable and accessible for all.
Further specific objectives within the first 18 months
- Develop and sustain a collaborative partnership to provide strategic leadership on evidence synthesis priorities and to provide content expertise within the scope of person-centred care, and health and public health systems.
- Engage with key stakeholders to identify future priority areas for syntheses and to disseminate Cochrane evidence and methods developed by the group.
- Contribute to knowledge translation and evidence-informed decision-making for person-centred care, health and public health systems.
- Share and strengthen capacity within the group on key and emerging synthesis and knowledge translation methods, including for reviews of effects and of qualitative evidence.
- Share and strengthen capacity with partners in the Global South.
- Improve and share resources to support evidence synthesis in complex areas.
News
- Catch up with the Norway Launch Seminar for Cochrane's new Thematic Group: People, Health Systems and Public Health (November 22, 2023)
- An interview with Simon Lewin, co-lead(September 13, 2023)
- Introducing Cochrane People, Health Systems and Public Health (May 10, 2023)
How can I sign up to this group to receive updates?
To receive the latest news and updates on activities, events and opportunities from the Cochrane People, Health Systems and Public Health Thematic Group:
- Log into your Cochrane account. If you don't have a Cochrane account, you can create one for free in a few seconds.
- Go to the communications tab.
- Check you are opted in to receive communications. If not, tick the box.
- Scroll down to 'Optional Digests'.
- Tick the box for 'People, Health Systems and Public Health'.
You will need to subscribe via Cochrane even if you registered earlier to receive communication from the Thematic Group and/or its partnering groups (Cochrane EPOC, Cochrane Public Health or Cochrane Consumers and Communication). This is because the Group is moving communications to a new Cochrane platform. Watch a short video on how to update your communication preferences.
What should I expect to receive after signing up?
You will receive a quarterly newsletter highlighting activities, events and opportunities from the Cochrane People, Health Systems and Public Health Thematic Group. You will also receive invitations to attend upcoming webinars, seminars and training activities.
Contact us
To find out more about the People, Health Systems and Public Health Thematic Group, email us.
