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Improving Social Justice in COVID-19 Health Research: Interim Guidelines for Reporting Health Equity in Observational Studies.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the global imperative to address health inequities. Observational studies are a valuable source of evidence for real-world effects and impacts of implementing COVID-19 policies on the redistribution of inequities. We assembled a diverse global multi-disciplinary team to develop interim guidance for improving transparency in reporting health equity in COVID-19 observational studies. We identified 14 areas in the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist that need additional detail to encourage transparent reporting of health equity. We searched for examples of COVID-19 observational studies that analysed and reported health equity analysis across one or more social determinants of health. We engaged with Indigenous stakeholders and others groups experiencing health inequities to co-produce this guidance and to bring an intersectional lens. Taking health equity and social determinants of health into account contributes to the clinical and epidemiological understanding of the disease, identifying specific needs and supporting decision-making processes. Stakeholders are encouraged to consider using this guidance on observational research to help provide evidence to close the inequitable gaps in health outcomes.

SUBMITTER: Antequera A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8431098 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Improving Social Justice in COVID-19 Health Research: Interim Guidelines for Reporting Health Equity in Observational Studies.

Antequera Alba A Lawson Daeria O DO Noorduyn Stephen G SG Dewidar Omar O Avey Marc M Bhutta Zulfiqar A ZA Chamberlain Catherine C Ellingwood Holly H Francis Damian D Funnell Sarah S Ghogomu Elizabeth E Greer-Smith Regina R Horsley Tanya T Juando-Prats Clara C Jull Janet J Kristjansson Elizabeth E Little Julian J Nicholls Stuart G SG Nkangu Miriam M Petticrew Mark M Rada Gabriel G Rizvi Anita A Shamseer Larissa L Sharp Melissa K MK Tufte Janice J Tugwell Peter P Verdugo-Paiva Francisca F Wang Harry H Wang Xiaoqin X Mbuagbaw Lawrence L Welch Vivian V

International journal of environmental research and public health 20210904 17

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the global imperative to address health inequities. Observational studies are a valuable source of evidence for real-world effects and impacts of implementing COVID-19 policies on the redistribution of inequities. We assembled a diverse global multi-disciplinary team to develop interim guidance for improving transparency in reporting health equity in COVID-19 observational studies. We identified 14 areas in the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observat ...[more]

PMID: 34501949

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Project description:BackgroundAddressing persistent and pervasive health inequities is a global moral imperative, which has been highlighted and magnified by the societal and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Observational studies can aid our understanding of the impact of health and structural oppression based on the intersection of gender, race, ethnicity, age and other factors, as they frequently collect this data. However, the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guideline, does not provide guidance related to reporting of health equity. The goal of this project is to develop a STROBE-Equity reporting guideline extension.MethodsWe assembled a diverse team across multiple domains, including gender, age, ethnicity, Indigenous background, disciplines, geographies, lived experience of health inequity and decision-making organizations. Using an inclusive, integrated knowledge translation approach, we will implement a five-phase plan which will include: (1) assessing the reporting of health equity in published observational studies, (2) seeking wide international feedback on items to improve reporting of health equity, (3) establishing consensus amongst knowledge users and researchers, (4) evaluating in partnership with Indigenous contributors the relevance to Indigenous peoples who have globally experienced the oppressive legacy of colonization, and (5) widely disseminating and seeking endorsement from relevant knowledge users. We will seek input from external collaborators using social media, mailing lists and other communication channels.DiscussionAchieving global imperatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals (e.g., SDG 10 Reduced inequalities, SDG 3 Good health and wellbeing) requires advancing health equity in research. The implementation of the STROBE-Equity guidelines will enable a better awareness and understanding of health inequities through better reporting. We will broadly disseminate the reporting guideline with tools to enable adoption and use by journal editors, authors, and funding agencies, using diverse strategies tailored to specific audiences.

Project description:ObjectiveThe overall goal of this work is to produce a set of recommendations (SoNHR-Social Networks in Health Research) that will improve the reporting and dissemination of social network concepts, methods, data, and analytic results within health sciences research.MethodsThis study used a modified-Delphi approach for recommendation development consistent with best practices suggested by the EQUATOR health sciences reporting guidelines network. An initial set of 28 reporting recommendations was developed by the author team. A group of 67 (of 147 surveyed) experienced network and health scientists participated in an online feedback survey. They rated the clarity and importance of the individual recommendations, and provided qualitative feedback on the coverage, usability, and dissemination opportunities of the full set of recommendations. After examining the feedback, a final set of 18 recommendations was produced.ResultsThe final SoNHR reporting guidelines are comprised of 18 recommendations organized within five domains: conceptualization (how study research questions are linked to network conceptions or theories), operationalization (how network science portions of the study are defined and operationalized), data collection & management (how network data are collected and managed), analyses & results (how network results are analyzed, visualized, and reported), and ethics & equity (how network-specific human subjects, equity, and social justice concerns are reported). We also present a set of exemplar published network studies which can be helpful for seeing how to apply the SoNHR recommendations in research papers. Finally, we discuss how different audiences can use these reporting guidelines.ConclusionsThese are the first set of formal reporting recommendations of network methods in the health sciences. Consistent with EQUATOR goals, these network reporting recommendations may in time improve the quality, consistency, and replicability of network science across a wide variety of important health research areas.

Project description:ObjectiveTo describe health equity research priorities for health care delivery systems and delineate a research and action agenda that generates evidence-based solutions to persistent racial and ethnic inequities in health outcomes.Data sources and study settingThis project was conducted as a component of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) stakeholder engaged process to develop an Equity Agenda and Action Plan to guide priority setting to advance health equity. Recommendations were developed and refined based on expert input, evidence review, and stakeholder engagement. Participating stakeholders included experts from academia, health care organizations, industry, and government.Study designExpert group consensus, informed by stakeholder engagement and targeted evidence review.Data collection/extraction methodsPriority themes were derived iteratively through (1) brainstorming and idea reduction, (2) targeted evidence review of candidate themes, (3) determination of preliminary themes; (4) input on preliminary themes from stakeholders attending AHRQ's 2022 Health Equity Summit; and (5) and refinement of themes based on that input. The final set of research and action recommendations was determined by authors' consensus.Principal findingsHealth care delivery systems have contributed to racial and ethnic disparities in health care. High quality research is needed to inform health care delivery systems approaches to undo systemic barriers and inequities. We identified six priority themes for research; (1) institutional leadership, culture, and workforce; (2) data-driven, culturally tailored care; (3) health equity targeted performance incentives; (4) health equity-informed approaches to health system consolidation and access; (5) whole person care; (6) and whole community investment. We also suggest cross-cutting themes regarding research workforce and research timelines.ConclusionsAs the nation's primary health services research agency, AHRQ can advance equitable delivery of health care by funding research and disseminating evidence to help transform the organization and delivery of health care.

Project description:BackgroundVast volumes of routinely collected data (RCD) about patients are collated by health professionals. Leveraging this data - a form of real-world data - can be valuable for quality improvement and contributing to the evidence-base to inform practice. Examining routine data may be especially useful for examining issues related to social justice such as health inequities. However, little is known about the extent to which RCD is utilised in health fields and published for wider dissemination.ObjectivesThe objective of this scoping review is to document the peer-reviewed published research in allied health fields which utilise RCD and evaluate the extent to which these studies have addressed issues pertaining to social justice.MethodsAn enhanced version of the Arksey and O'Malley's framework, put forth by Westphalm et al. guided the scoping review. A comprehensive literature search of three databases identified 1584 articles. Application of inclusion and exclusion criteria was piloted on 5% of the papers by three researchers. All titles and abstracts were screened independently by 2 team members, as were full texts. A data charting framework, developed to address the research questions, was piloted by three researchers with data extraction being completed by the lead researcher. A sample of papers were independently charted by a second researcher for reliability checking.ResultsOne hundred and ninety papers were included in the review. The literature was diverse in terms of the professions that were represented: physiotherapy (33.7%) and psychology/mental health professions (15.8%) predominated. Many studies were first authored by clinicians (44.2%), often with clinical-academic teams. Some (33.25%) directly referenced the use of their studies to examine translation of research to practice. Few studies (14.2%) specifically tackled issues pertaining to social justice, though many collected variables that could have been utilised for this purpose.ConclusionStudies operationalising RCD can meaningfully address research to practice gaps and provide new evidence about issues related to social justice. However, RCD is underutilised for these purposes. Given that vast volumes of relevant data are routinely collected, more needs to be done to leverage it, which would be supported by greater acknowledgement of the value of RCD studies.

Dataset Information

Improving Social Justice in COVID-19 Health Research: Interim Guidelines for Reporting Health Equity in Observational Studies.

Publications

Improving Social Justice in COVID-19 Health Research: Interim Guidelines for Reporting Health Equity in Observational Studies.

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