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Vulnerability assessment tools for infectious threats and antimicrobial resistance: a scoping review protocol.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:This protocol will guide and explain the working process of a systematic scoping review on vulnerability assessment tools in the field of infectious disease outbreaks and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crises. The scoping review will appraise existing tools or methodologies to identify local level vulnerabilities in the context of infectious disease outbreaks and AMR. Due to this focus on infectious threats and AMR, the review also considers articles using a 'One Health' approach to assess the vulnerability of individuals, groups and practices in human-animal-environment interactions. Given the broad nature of vulnerability, we aim to allocate studies discerning the process of identifying vulnerable or at-risk groups during a crisis, instead of studies taking vulnerability only as a starting point. Because considerable research has been conducted on vulnerability, disasters and climate change, we will also assemble tools developed from these fields. To our knowledge, this is the first planned systematic scoping review of vulnerability assessment tools for disease outbreaks and AMR, taking into account practices at the human-animal-environment interface that can lead to increased risk of exposure of individuals to infections, pathogen spillovers or epidemics. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:To develop the protocol, we used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols checklist (PRISMA-P 2015) in compliance with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews Explanation and Elaboration. With the assistance of an experienced research librarian, we developed the search strategy, which targeted the following databases: Medline, Global Health database, Web of Science and Embase. A second strategy was developed for Epistemonikos, African Journals Online and Global Index Medicus because these databases do not provide the infrastructure for an advanced search. We consider studies published between 1978 and 2019 and include articles, book chapters, websites and grey literature from selected non-governmental organisations and non-profit organisations working in the health field. We contact them directly regarding whether they are working with or have developed a vulnerability assessment tool. To address the dynamic nature of our investigation, we develop a flow diagram which we continually update to reflect the selection process. Two reviewers (MJ and LL) independently screen the literature and resolve conflicts through discussion rounds. Data extraction will be conducted by four researchers (MJ, LL, EJ and RK) through inductive and deductive coding. Extracted data will be systematically compared and divergences highlighted. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:Ethical approval is not required because this study does not involve collection of primary data. The purpose of this review is to disseminate a catalogue of vulnerability assessment tools and a brief summary of key results and recommendations for SoNAR-Global partners in Bangladesh, Ukraine and Uganda. The catalogue will be made publicly available. On the basis of our results, SoNAR-Global partners will pilot one of these tools.

SUBMITTER: Jeleff M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6886976 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Vulnerability assessment tools for infectious threats and antimicrobial resistance: a scoping review protocol.

Jeleff Maren M Lehner Lisa L Giles-Vernick Tamara T Dückers Michel L A MLA Napier A David AD Jirovsky Elena E Kutalek Ruth R

BMJ open 20191118 11

<h4>Introduction</h4>This protocol will guide and explain the working process of a systematic scoping review on vulnerability assessment tools in the field of infectious disease outbreaks and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crises. The scoping review will appraise existing tools or methodologies to identify local level vulnerabilities in the context of infectious disease outbreaks and AMR. Due to this focus on infectious threats and AMR, the review also considers articles using a 'One Health' app ...[more]

PMID: 31740471

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an escalating global health issue with complex and dynamic interdependencies, high uncertainty and decision stakes, multiple drivers and stakeholders with diverse values and interests, and various aspects and outcomes. Addressing and combating this critical global challenge requires the formation and establishment of an interdisciplinary research approach that goes beyond the biosciences principally concerned with antimicrobial resistance to include other relevant natural and social sciences. The objective of this study will be to review and map existing social science knowledge and literature relating to antimicrobial resistance. METHODS:The review team will undertake the scoping review using the Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework and also the Joanna Briggs Institute methods manual. Publications in English (from 1998 onwards) will be searched using several databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Anthropological Plus, Sociological Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), PsycINFO and EconLit. Grey literature will also be searched (e.g. Google Scholar). Two reviewers will independently screen all citations, full-text articles, and abstract data. Publication types will include original articles, editorials, commentaries, protocols, and books in the social science research literature on AMR. All study designs (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods) will be included. A PRISMA Flow Diagram of search and study selection will be used to report final figures on included and excluded studies. To provide a descriptive summary of the literature, data will be collated, stored, and charted using Microsoft Excel software. The analysis will also involve identifying themes and gaps in the existing literature and summarizing, describing and displaying all pertinent information using thematic construction approaches including qualitative content analysis methods. DISCUSSION:This protocol describes a systematic method to identify, map, and synthesize social science research evidence on antimicrobial resistance. By mapping evidence and identifying potential knowledge gaps where further research is warranted, the resulting scoping review will provide useful insights for the design, implementation, and reorientation of future research agendas on AMR at multiple levels. Systematic review registration: This protocol has been registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF): https://osf.io/hyaem.

Project description:BackgroundHighlighted by the rise of COVID-19, climate change, and conflict, socially vulnerable populations are least resilient to disaster. In infectious disease management, mathematical models are a commonly used tool. Researchers should include social vulnerability in models to strengthen their utility in reflecting real-world dynamics. We conducted a scoping review to evaluate how researchers have incorporated social vulnerability into infectious disease mathematical models.MethodsThe methodology followed the Joanna Briggs Institute and updated Arksey and O'Malley frameworks, verified by the PRISMA-ScR checklist. PubMed, Clarivate Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO Africa Wide Information, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for peer-reviewed published articles. Screening and extracting data were done by two independent researchers.ResultsOf 4075 results, 89 articles were identified. Two-thirds of articles used a compartmental model (n = 58, 65.2%), with a quarter using agent-based models (n = 24, 27.0%). Overall, routine indicators, namely age and sex, were among the most frequently used measures (n = 42, 12.3%; n = 22, 6.4%, respectively). Only one measure related to culture and social behaviour (0.3%). For compartmental models, researchers commonly constructed distinct models for each level of a social vulnerability measure and included new parameters or influenced standard parameters in model equations (n = 30, 51.7%). For all agent-based models, characteristics were assigned to hosts (n = 24, 100.0%), with most models including age, contact behaviour, and/or sex (n = 18, 75.0%; n = 14, 53.3%; n = 10, 41.7%, respectively).ConclusionsGiven the importance of equitable and effective infectious disease management, there is potential to further the field. Our findings demonstrate that social vulnerability is not considered holistically. There is a focus on incorporating routine demographic indicators but important cultural and social behaviours that impact health outcomes are excluded. It is crucial to develop models that foreground social vulnerability to not only design more equitable interventions, but also to develop more effective infectious disease control and elimination strategies. Furthermore, this study revealed the lack of transparency around data sources, inconsistent reporting, lack of collaboration with local experts, and limited studies focused on modelling cultural indicators. These challenges are priorities for future research.

Project description:BackgroundAlcohol consumption is a key public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, which has the highest burden of alcohol attributable injury and disease of any region. Excess alcohol use is particularly harmful for adolescents and has been associated with neurocognitive defects and social and emotional problems. Effective screening and assessment tools are necessary to implement, evaluate and monitor interventions to prevent and decrease adolescent alcohol use. Most of these tools have been used among adolescent groups in high income settings; data on their effectiveness in Africa, where much alcohol use is unregulated, is limited. This scoping review will examine and map the range of tools in use and create an evidence base for future research in adolescent alcohol prevention and control in Africa.MethodsThe review will include all relevant study designs and grey literature. Inclusion and exclusion criteria have been designed using the Population - Concept - Context framework, and two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts and then full text to determine eligibility of articles. The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, CINAHL and Global Health data bases will be searched for peer reviewed publications. The search strategy for grey literature will include Google searches and searches in websites of pertinent professional bodies and charities. The methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley and adaptations by the Joanna Briggs Institute and Levac et al. will be used. An iterative approach to charting, collating, summarising and reporting the data will be taken, with the development of charting forms and the final presentation of results led by the extracted data.ResultsThis scoping review protocol describes a secondary analysis of data already collected to explore and map alcohol consumption measurement tools in adolescents in Africa.ConclusionsIt is anticipated that our findings will provide an evidence base surrounding tools used to measure adolescent alcohol consumption in Africa. These findings are likely to be useful in informing future research, policy and public health strategies. Findings will be disseminated widely through peer-reviewed publication and in various media, for example, conferences, congresses or symposia.Systematic review registrationScoping Review Registration: Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/bjhgw/ ).

Project description:INTRODUCTION:Vaccine hesitancy, defined as the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination despite availability of vaccination services is responsible in part for suboptimal levels of vaccination coverage worldwide. The WHO recommends that countries incorporate plans to measure and address vaccine hesitancy into their immunisation programmes. This requires that governments and health institutions be able to detect concerns about vaccination in the population and monitor changes in vaccination behaviours. To do this effectively, tools to detect and measure vaccine hesitancy are required. The purpose of this scoping review is to give a broad overview of currently available vaccine hesitancy measuring tools and present a summary of their nature, similarities and differences. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:The review will be conducted using the framework for scoping review proffered by Arksey and O'Malley. It will comply with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews' guidelines. The broader research question of this review is: what vaccine hesitancy measuring tools are currently available?Search strategies will be developed using controlled vocabulary and selected keywords. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and reference lists of relevant publications will be searched. Titles and abstracts will be independently screened by two authors and data from full-text articles meeting the inclusion criteria will be extracted independently by two authors using a pretested data charting form. Discrepancies will be resolved by discussion and consensus. Results will be presented using descriptive statistics such as percentages, tables, charts and flow diagrams as appropriate. Narrative analysis will be used to summarise the findings of the review. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:Ethics approval is not required for the review. It will be submitted as part of a doctoral thesis, presented at conferences and published in a peer-reviewed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:https://osf.io/x8fjk/.

Project description:BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) of infectious agents is a growing concern for public health organizations. Given the complexity of this issue and how widespread the problem has become, resources are often insufficient to address all concerns, thus prioritization of AMR pathogens is essential for the optimal allocation of risk management attention. Since the epidemiology of AMR pathogens differs between countries, country-specific assessments are important for the determination of national priorities.ObjectiveTo develop a systematic and transparent approach to AMR risk prioritization in Canada.MethodsRelevant AMR pathogens in Canada were selected through a transparent multi-step consensus process (n=32). Each pathogen was assessed using ten criteria: incidence, mortality, case-fatality, communicability, treatability, clinical impact, public/political attention, ten-year projection of incidence, economic impact, and preventability. For each pathogen, each criterion was assigned a numerical score of 0, 1, or 2, and multiplied by criteria-specific weighting determined through researcher consensus of importance. The scores for each AMR pathogen were summed and ranked by total score, where a higher score indicated greater importance. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the effects of changing the criteria-specific weights.ResultsThe AMR pathogen with the highest total weighted score was extended spectrum B-lactamase-producing (ESBL) Enterobacteriaceae (score=77). When grouped by percentile, ESBL Enterobacteriaceae, Clostridium difficile, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were in the 80-100th percentile.ConclusionThis assessment provides useful information for prioritising public health strategies regarding AMR resistance at the national level in Canada. As the AMR environment and challenges change over time and space, this systematic and transparent approach can be adapted for use by other stakeholders domestically and internationally. Given the complexity of influences, resource availability and multiple stakeholders, regular consideration of AMR activities in the public health realm is essential for appropriate and responsible prioritisation of risk management that optimises the health and security of the population.

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Vulnerability assessment tools for infectious threats and antimicrobial resistance: a scoping review protocol.

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Vulnerability assessment tools for infectious threats and antimicrobial resistance: a scoping review protocol.

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