Research evidence communication for policy-makers: a rapid scoping review on frameworks, guidance and tools, and barriers and facilitators.

BACKGROUND: Communication is a multifaceted process, ranging from linear, one-way approaches, such as transmitting a simple message, to continuous exchanges and feedback loops among stakeholders. In particular the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical need for timely, effective and credible evidence communication to increase awareness, levels of trust, and evidence uptake in policy and practice. However, whether to improve policy responses in crises or address more commonplace societal challenges, comprehensive guidance on evidence communication to decision-makers in health policies and systems remains limited. Our objective was to identify and systematize the global evidence on frameworks, guidance and tools supporting effective communication of research evidence to facilitate knowledge translation and evidence-informed policy-making processes, while also addressing barriers and facilitators. METHODS: We conducted a rapid scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Manual. Literature searches were performed across eight indexed databases and two sources of grey literature, without language or time restrictions. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed, and a narrative-interpretative synthesis was applied to present the findings. RESULTS: We identified 16 documents presenting either complete frameworks or framework components, including guidance and tools, aimed at supporting evidence communication for policy development. These frameworks outlined strategies, theoretical models, barriers and facilitators, as well as insights into policy-makers' perspectives, communication needs, and preferences. Three primary evidence communication strategies, comprising eleven sub-strategies, emerged: "Health information packaging", "Targeting and tailoring messages to the audience", and "Combined communication strategies". Based on the documented barriers and facilitators at micro, meso and macro levels, critical factors for successful communication of evidence to policy-makers were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Effective communication is indispensable for facilitating knowledge translation and evidence-informed policy-making. Nonetheless gaps persist in frameworks designed to enhance research communication to policy-makers, particularly regarding the effectiveness of multiple communication strategies. To advance in this field, the development of comprehensive frameworks incorporating implementation strategies is warranted. Additionally, barriers and facilitators to implementing effective communication must be recognized and addressed taking diverse contexts into consideration. Registration https://zenodo.org/record/5578550.

[Evidence for Health Promotion in Brazil: report on a rapid response serviceEvidencia para la promoción de la salud en Brasil: informe sobre un servicio de respuesta rápida]. / Evidências para a Promoção da Saúde no Brasil: relato de um serviço de resposta rápida.

Objective: Present the experience of a rapid response service to support decision-making in health systems. Methodology: Description of the processes and results of a service that produces rapid reviews and evidence maps to support decision-making under the National Health Promotion Policy, as well as the authors' perception of the work process. Results: The rapid response service started in 2020. By December 2023, 54 rapid reviews and five evidence maps had been produced, covering nine health promotion topics. These products were developed in 14 stages by a team made up of a coordinator, supervisors, proofreaders, and a librarian. The development of rapid responses involved a knowledge translation process, with continuous interactions between the requesting teams and production teams. Establishing effective communication was a critical factor in delivering products on time and in line with the needs of decision-makers and their supporters. Conclusion: Rapid response services can help improve the use of evidence for decision-making in health policies and health systems.

Objetivo: Presentación de la experiencia de un servicio de respuesta rápida para brindar apoyo a la toma de decisiones en materia de salud. Método: Se describen los procesos y resultados de un servicio de elaboración de revisiones rápidas y mapas de evidencia para brindar apoyo a la toma de decisiones en el marco de la Política Nacional de Promoción de la Salud, así como la percepción de los autores sobre el proceso de trabajo. Resultados: El servicio de respuesta rápida se inició en el 2020. Hasta diciembre del 2023, se habían elaborado 54 revisiones rápidas y cinco mapas de evidencia, que abarcaban nueve temas de promoción de la salud. Estos productos fueron elaborados en 14 etapas por un equipo formado por un coordinador, varios supervisores y revisores y un bibliotecario. La elaboración de respuestas rápidas fue un proceso de traducción del conocimiento e implicó una interacción continua entre los equipos solicitantes y el equipo de elaboración. El establecimiento de una comunicación eficaz fue un factor decisivo para entregar los productos a tiempo y en consonancia con las necesidades de los responsables de la toma de decisiones y su personal de apoyo. Conclusión: Los servicios de respuesta rápida pueden ayudar a mejorar el uso de evidencia en la toma de decisiones relacionadas con las políticas y los sistemas de salud.

Brazilian Clinical Practice Guidelines for Sexually Transmitted Infections That Cause Urethral Discharge: Assessment According to the AGREE II and Critical Analysis Based on the WHO Recommendations.

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STI) can have severe consequences. In Brazil, case management is recommended by the Clinical Protocol and Therapeutical Guidelines for Comprehensive Care for People with STIs (PCDT-IST). This study assessed the quality of PCDT-IST (2021) and reviewed the main recommendations for the management of STI that cause urethral discharge compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) STI Guidelines. METHODS: The PCDT-IST (2021) quality was independently assessed by 4 appraisers using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation instrument, version II (AGREE II). The PCDT-IST (2021) and the WHO Guidelines for the Management of Symptomatic STI (2021) were compared considering 14 different assessment domains. RESULTS: The PCDT-IST (2021) scores in the AGREE II domains were: Rigor of Development (58%), Applicability (35%), Editorial Independence (38%), Scope and Purpose (78%), Stakeholder Involvement (74%), and Clarity and Presentation (82%). The overall score was 67%, and all appraisers recommended the Brazilian guideline. Regarding the PCDT-IST (2021) and the WHO STI Guidelines (2021) comparation, 10 domains would be relevant for further reviewing the Brazilian recommendations: Diagnostic tests; Etiological approach; Treatment for recurrent urethral discharge; Treatment for urethritis without etiological agent identification; Treatment for gonococcal urethritis; Treatment for chlamydial urethritis; Retreatment for gonococcal infections; Treatment for Mycoplasma genitalium urethritis; Treatment for Trichomonas vaginalis urethritis; 10. Flowcharts. CONCLUSIONS: The PCDT-IST (2021) has a reasonable degree of quality. However, the domains of Applicability, Rigor of Development, and Editorial Independence must be better ensured. The guidelines comparison will help to select key topics that should be addressed with priority in the following national STI guidelines updates.

Patients' perspectives on the relevance of biosimilars' outcomes in oncology: qualitative study with nominal group technique.

PURPOSE: We aimed to rate the importance of outcomes from a systematic review about biosimilars in oncology from patients' perspective. METHODS: This is a qualitative research with nominal group technique. Patients with cancer were selected by convenience sampling and invited for two mediated virtual meetings in 2022. Twelve outcomes from a systematic review on biosimilars for oncology developed following a protocol were explained in plain language to participants who classified them as critical, important, or not important according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. We employed Iramuteq software for lexical categorization of the meeting transcripts, and content analysis for interpretation. RESULTS: Five women participated (three had metastatic cancer, one non-metastatic, one recurrent). Six outcomes were classified as critical: duration of response, progression-free survival, pathological complete response, overall survival, severe adverse events, and quality of life; three as important: mortality, event-free survival, and objective response; and three as non-important: neutralizing anti-drug antibody, any adverse event, and non-neutralizing anti-drug antibody. Duration of response, pathological complete response, severe adverse events, and quality of life were considered secondary in the review protocol, but critical by the patients. The main themes influencing the importance classification were related to the disease (progression and control) and treatment (recognition and healthcare setting). CONCLUSION: Patients rated most outcomes as critical or important, some of them previously regarded as secondary by the researchers, which reinforces the need to include stakeholders' perspectives in oncology research. Aspects of the disease progression and treatment effects influenced participants' judgment on outcomes' relevance.

A Reporting Tool for Adapted Guidelines in Health Care: The RIGHT-Ad@pt Checklist.

BACKGROUND: Adaptation of existing guidelines can be an efficient way to develop contextualized recommendations. Transparent reporting of the adaptation approach can support the transparency and usability of the adapted guidelines. OBJECTIVE: To develop an extension of the RIGHT (Reporting Items for practice Guidelines in HealThcare) statement for the reporting of adapted guidelines (including recommendations that have been adopted, adapted, or developed de novo), the RIGHT-Ad@pt checklist. DESIGN: A multistep process was followed to develop the checklist: establishing a working group, generating an initial checklist, optimizing the checklist (through an initial assessment of adapted guidelines, semistructured interviews, a Delphi consensus survey, an external review, and a final assessment of adapted guidelines), and approval of the final checklist by the working group. SETTING: International collaboration. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 119 professionals participated in the development process. MEASUREMENTS: Participants' consensus on items in the checklist. RESULTS: The RIGHT-Ad@pt checklist contains 34 items grouped in 7 sections: basic information (7 items); scope (6 items); rigor of development (10 items); recommendations (4 items); external review and quality assurance (2 items); funding, declaration, and management of interest (2 items); and other information (3 items). A user guide with explanations and real-world examples for each item was developed to provide a better user experience. LIMITATION: The RIGHT-Ad@pt checklist requires further validation in real-life use. CONCLUSION: The RIGHT-Ad@pt checklist has been developed to improve the reporting of adapted guidelines, focusing on the standardization, rigor, and transparency of the process and the clarity and explicitness of adapted recommendations. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: None.

How to improve the dissemination of clinical practice guidelines in the Brazilian Unified Health System? Report of a pilot project.

In Brazil, there have been some initiatives to improve the development of Ministry of Health clinical protocols and therapeutic guidelines (PCDTs in Portuguese, and clinical practice guidelines-CPGs, in English) and their implementation so that best practices can be disseminated and adopted at multiple levels of health systems. One of the initiatives was to conduct a pilot project to improve the format of these CPGs. The objective of this article is to present the processes and results of the pilot project, including the development of a new standardized format for CPGs to promote national dissemination and uptake. The pilot project was designed in three phases: identification and selection of strategies to effectively implement clinical practice guidelines, definition of the ideal characteristics for the format of CPGs, and development and implementation of the new format. Initially, an overview of systematic reviews was conducted to map the global evidence on the effectiveness of dissemination and implementation strategies of CPGs. Among the most effective interventions, a low-cost strategy was selected to improve the format of CPGs, namely a full format and a short format. The two formats were evaluated for usefulness and acceptability by professionals who use or develop CPGs, and after several reiterations, the formats were finalized, considering the progression of care (from diagnosis of the disease to treatment, including specific technologies indicated in each stage of the disease). Related to the technical aspects, the visual presentation of the CPGs was improved, ensuring that key information was easily identified for decision-making by end users. The initial phase of implementation involved 33 clinical conditions, equating to approximately 20% of published CPGs. It is anticipated that disseminating the CPGs in the new formats will promote the accessibility of information and implementation of standardized CPGs by health professionals in the public health sector (servicing more than 210 million Brazilians). Further research should be considered to determine the impact of the use of the new CPGs formats, contributing to the knowledge base related to the implementation of guidelines in Brazil and internationally.

Competency profiles for evidence-informed policy-making (EIPM): a rapid review.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-informed policy-making (EIPM) requires a set of individual and organizational capacities, linked with background factors and needs. The identification of essential knowledge, skills and attitudes for EIPM can support the development of competency profiles and their application in different contexts. PURPOSE: To identify elements of competency (knowledge, skills and attitudes) for EIPM, according to different professional profiles (researcher, health professional, decision-maker and citizen). METHODS: Rapid umbrella review. A structured search was conducted and later updated in two comprehensive repositories (BVSalud and PubMed). Review studies with distinctive designs were included, published from 2010 onwards, without language restrictions. Assessment of the methodological quality of the studies was not performed. A meta-aggregative narrative synthesis was used to report the findings. RESULTS: Ten reviews were included. A total of 37 elements of competency were identified, eight were categorized as knowledge, 19 as skills and 10 as attitudes. These elements were aggregated into four competency profiles: researcher, health professional, decision-maker and citizen. The competency profiles included different sets of EIPM-related knowledge, skills and attitudes. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: This study is innovative because it aggregates different profiles of competency from a practical perspective, favouring the application of its results in different contexts to support EIPM. Methodological limitations are related to the shortcuts adopted in this review: complementary searches of the grey literature were not performed, and the study selection and data extraction were not conducted in duplicate. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: EIPM requires the development of individual and organizational capacities. This rapid review contributes to the discussion on the institutionalization of EIPM in health systems. The competency profiles presented here can support discussions about the availability of capacity and the need for its development in different contexts.

Strategies for communicating scientific evidence on healthcare to managers and the population: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Health evidence needs to be communicated and disseminated in a manner that is clearly understood by decision-makers. As an inherent component of health knowledge translation, communicating results of scientific studies, effects of interventions and health risk estimates, in addition to understanding key concepts of clinical epidemiology and interpreting evidence, represent a set of essential instruments to reduce the gap between science and practice. The advancement of digital and social media has reshaped the concept of health communication, introducing new, direct and powerful communication platforms and gateways between researchers and the public. The objective of this scoping review was to identify strategies for communicating scientific evidence in healthcare to managers and/or population. METHODS: We searched Cochrane Library, Embase®, MEDLINE® and other six electronic databases, in addition to grey literature, relevant websites from related organizations for studies, documents or reports published from 2000, addressing any strategy for communicating scientific evidence on healthcare to managers and/or population. RESULTS: Our search identified 24 598 unique records, of which 80 met the inclusion criteria and addressed 78 strategies. Most strategies focused on risk and benefit communication in health, were presented by textual format and had been implemented and somehow evaluated. Among the strategies evaluated and appearing to yield some benefit are (i) risk/benefit communication: natural frequencies instead of percentages, absolute risk instead relative risk and number needed to treat, numerical instead nominal communication, mortality instead survival; negative or loss content appear to be more effective than positive or gain content; (ii) evidence synthesis: plain languages summaries to communicate the results of Cochrane reviews to the community were perceived as more reliable, easier to find and understand, and better to support decisions than the original summaries; (iii) teaching/learning: the Informed Health Choices resources seem to be effective for improving critical thinking skills. CONCLUSION: Our findings contribute to both the knowledge translation process by identifying communication strategies with potential for immediate implementation and to future research by recognizing the need to evaluate the clinical and social impact of other strategies to support evidence-informed policies. Trial registration protocol is prospectively available in MedArxiv (doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.04.21265922).

An evidence-informed policymaking (EIPM) competency profile for the Brazilian Health System developed through consensus: process and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-informed policymaking (EIPM) requires a set of individual and organizational knowledge, skills and attitudes that should be articulated with background factors and needs. In this regard, the development of an EIPM competency profile is important to support the diagnosis, planning and implementation of EIPM. PURPOSE: To present the process and outcomes of the development of an EIPM competency profile by an expert committee, to be applied in different contexts of the Brazilian Health System. METHODS: A committee of experts in EIPM shared different views, experiences and opinions to develop an EIPM competency profile for Brazil. In six consensus workshops mediated by facilitators, the committee defined from macro problems to key actions and performances essential for the competency profile. The development steps consisted of: (1) Constitution of the committee, including researchers, professionals with practical experience, managers, and educators; (2) Development of a rapid review on EIPM competency profiles; (3) Agreement on commitments and responsibilities in the processes; (4) Identification and definition of macro problems relating to the scope of the competency profile; and (5) Outlining of general and specific capacities, to be incorporated into the competency profile, categorized by key actions. RESULTS: The development of the EIPM competency profile was guided by the following macro problems: (1) lack of systematic and transparent decision-making processes in health policy management; (2) underdeveloped institutional capacity for knowledge management and translation; and (3) incipient use of scientific evidence in the formulation and implementation of health policies. A general framework of key actions and performances of the EIPM Competency Profile for Brazil was developed, including 42 specific and general key actions distributed by area of activity (Health Management, Scientific Research, Civil Society, Knowledge Translation, and Cross-sectional areas). CONCLUSIONS: The competency profile presented in this article can be used in different contexts as a key tool for the institutionalization of EIPM.

[Adherence, barriers, and facilitators for the treatment of systemic arterial hypertension: rapid review of evidenceAdhesión, obstáculos y elementos facilitadores en relación con el tratamiento de la hipertensión: revisión rápida de la evidencia]. / Adesão, barreiras e facilitadores no tratamento de hipertensão arterial: revisão rápida de evidências.

Objective: To identify strategies to increase adherence to systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) treatment and describe the barriers and facilitators for implementing these strategies in primary health care (PHC). Method: A rapid evidence review was performed. We included systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses, published in English, Spanish or Portuguese, covering adults (age 18 to ≤ 60 years) with SAH followed in the PHC. Searches were performed in nine databases in December 2020 and updated in April 2022. The systematic reviews were assessed for methodological quality using the AMSTAR 2 tool. Results: Fourteen systematic reviews on treatment adherence strategies and three on barriers and facilitators for implementation were included. Regarding methodological quality, one systematic review was classified as moderate, four as low, and the others as critically low. Four strategies were identified as options for health policies: actions performed by pharmacists; actions performed by non-pharmaceutical health professionals; self-monitoring, use of mobile apps, and text messages; and subsidies for the purchase of medicines. Low digital literacy, limited access to the internet, work process and incipient training were barriers for professionals. The users' educational and health literacy levels, accessibility to health services and good relationships with professionals were facilitators. Conclusions: Positive effects of strategies related to pharmaceutical care, self-monitoring, and the use of cell phone applications and text messages were identified to increase adherence to the treatment of SAH in the context of PHC. However, for implementation purposes, it is necessary to consider barriers and facilitators, in addition to the methodological limitations of the analyzed systematic reviews.

Objetivo: Buscar estrategias para aumentar la adhesión al tratamiento de la hipertensión arterial sistémica y describir las barreras y los elementos facilitadores para la implementación de esas estrategias en el ámbito de la atención primaria de salud. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión rápida de la evidencia. Se incluyeron revisiones sistemáticas, con o sin metaanálisis, publicadas en español, inglés o portugués, en las cuales se evaluaban a personas adultas (de 18 a ≤ 60 años) con hipertensión arterial sistémica observadas en el ámbito de la atención primaria de salud. Las búsquedas se realizaron en nueve bases de datos en diciembre del 2020 y se actualizaron en abril del 2022. Se evaluó la calidad metodológica de las revisiones sistemáticas incluidas con la herramienta AMSTAR 2. Resultados: Se incluyeron 14 revisiones sistemáticas sobre estrategias de adhesión al tratamiento y tres sobre obstáculos y elementos facilitadores para la implementación. La calidad metodológica fue moderada en una revisión sistemática, baja en cuatro y críticamente baja en las demás. Se identificaron cuatro estrategias como opciones para las políticas de salud: medidas tomadas por farmacéuticos; medidas tomadas por profesionales no farmacéuticos; autocontrol, uso de aplicaciones para teléfonos celulares y mensajes de texto; y oferta de subvenciones para la compra de medicamentos. La escasa alfabetización digital, el acceso limitado a internet y los procesos de trabajo y formación incipiente fueron obstáculos para los profesionales. Los elementos facilitadores fueron el nivel de educación y de conocimientos de los usuarios en materia de salud, la accesibilidad a los servicios de salud y las buenas relaciones con los profesionales. Conclusiones: Se observaron efectos positivos de las estrategias relacionadas con la atención farmacéutica, el autocontrol y el uso de aplicaciones de telefonía celular y mensajería de texto para aumentar la adhesión al tratamiento de la hipertensión arterial sistémica en el ámbito de la atención primaria de salud. Sin embargo, para fines de implementación, es necesario considerar los obstáculos y los elementos facilitadores, además de las limitaciones metodológicas de las revisiones sistemáticas analizadas.

[The evolution of Brazilian human health policies for the prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance: a scoping reviewEvolución de las políticas de prevención y control de la resistencia a los antimicrobianos desde la perspectiva de la salud humana en Brasil: revisión exploratoria]. / Evolução das políticas brasileiras de saúde humana para prevenção e controle da resistência aos antimicrobianos: revisão de escopo.

Objective: To map the policies related to the prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance from a human health perspective in Brazil and systematize the historical course of these policies. Method: A scoping review was performed following Joana Briggs Institute and PRISMA guidelines. A literature search was performed in December 2020 in the LILACS, PubMed and EMBASE databases. The terms "antimicrobial resistance" AND "Brazil" as well as their synonyms were used. Using the same keywords, Brazilian government websites were searched for documents published until December 2021. Studies of all designs were included, with no language or date restrictions. Clinical documents, reviews and epidemiological studies that did not focus on antimicrobial resistance management policies in Brazil were excluded. Categories based on World Health Organization documents were used for data systematization and analysis. Results: In Brazil, policies related to antimicrobial resistance such as the National Immunization Program and hospital infection control programs can be traced back to before the creation of the Unified Health System. In the late 1990s and 2000s, the first specific policies on antimicrobial resistance (surveillance networks and programs) and education strategies were established; especially noteworthy is The National Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Single Health Scope (PAN-BR) of 2018. Conclusions: Despite the long history of policies related to antimicrobial resistance in Brazil, gaps were identified, particularly in monitoring the use of antimicrobials and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance. The PAN-BR, the first government document prepared from a One Health perspective, represents an important milestone.

Objetivo: Determinar qué políticas de prevención y control de la resistencia a los antimicrobianos desde la perspectiva de la salud humana se han adoptado en Brasil y sistematizar su evolución histórica. Método: Se hizo una revisión exploratoria según las directrices del Instituto Joana Briggs y de PRISMA. La búsqueda bibliográfica se realizó en diciembre del 2020 en las bases de datos LILACS, PubMed y EMBASE. Se utilizaron los términos "antimicrobial resistance" AND "Brazil" y sinónimos. Se efectuó una investigación documental con los mismos términos en los sitios web del gobierno brasileño hasta diciembre del 2021. Se incluyeron estudios de todos los diseños, sin restricciones de idioma ni de fecha. Se excluyeron los documentos clínicos, revisiones y estudios epidemiológicos que no hicieran referencia a las políticas de gestión de la resistencia a los antimicrobianos en Brasil. Para la recolección y el análisis de datos se establecieron categorías basadas en documentos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Resultados: Desde antes de la creación del Sistema Único de Salud, Brasil tenía políticas de resistencia a los antimicrobianos, como el Programa Nacional de Inmunización y los programas de control de infecciones hospitalarias. A finales de las décadas de 1990 y 2000 se establecieron las primeras políticas específicas de resistencia a los antimicrobianos (redes y programas de vigilancia) y estrategias de educación. Entre ellas se destaca el Plan de Acción Nacional de Prevención y Control de la Resistencia a los Antimicrobianos en el marco del enfoque de "Una salud" (PAN-BR) del 2018. Conclusiones: A pesar de la larga historia de las políticas de resistencia a los antimicrobianos en Brasil, se encontraron lagunas, particularmente en el seguimiento del uso de antimicrobianos y la vigilancia de la resistencia a los mismos. El PAN-BR, primer documento gubernamental elaborado desde la perspectiva de "Una salud", marca un hito en las políticas formuladas en Brasil.

[Telehealth, food consumption, and eating behavior in adults: a rapid review of systematic reviewsTelesalud, consumo de alimentos y comportamiento alimentario de la población adulta: examen rápido de revisiones sistemáticas]. / Telessaúde no consumo e comportamento alimentar em adultos: uma revisão rápida de revisões sistemáticas.

Objective: To synthesize the evidence about the effects of telehealth interventions provided through smart-phone apps and text messages on the behavior of adults regarding healthy food consumption. Method: A rapid systematic review of the literature was performed through searches in nine electronic databases to identify systematic reviews published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish that evaluated telehealth strategies compared to face-to-face interventions to improve dietary intake in the adult population (18 to 59 years old). Searches were performed in November 2020 and updated in April 2022. The included systematic reviews were assessed for methodological quality using the AMSTAR 2 tool. Results: Five systematic reviews were included. Methodological quality was moderate in one review and critically low in four. There was a dearth of studies comparing the use of telehealth strategies with face-to-face interventions for the promotion of healthy eating in adults. The most consistent results refer to an increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables with the use of an app or text messages, in addition to improvement in the dietary habits of people with diabetes or glucose intolerance with the use of text messages. Conclusion: Positive effects were observed on healthy eating outcomes for most interventions using mobile apps or text messages; however, the findings refer to a few clinical trials with small samples that were analyzed in the systematic reviews covered in the present rapid review, most of which had low methodological quality. Thus, the current knowledge gap warrants the performance of further methodologically robust studies.

Objetivo: Sintetizar la evidencia sobre los efectos de las intervenciones de telesalud ofrecidas por medio de aplicaciones de telefonía móvil y mensajes de texto en el comportamiento de la población adulta relacionado con una alimentación saludable. Métodos: Se realizó un examen rápido mediante búsquedas en nueve bases bibliográficas electrónicas para localizar revisiones sistemáticas publicadas en español, inglés y portugués en las que se evaluaran estrategias de telesalud en comparación con atención presencial para mejorar la alimentación de la población adulta (de 18 a 59 años). Las búsquedas se realizaron en noviembre del 2020 y se actualizaron en abril del 2022. La calidad metodológica de las revisiones sistemáticas incluidas se evaluó con la herramienta AMSTAR 2. Resultados: Se incluyeron cinco revisiones sistemáticas, una con un grado de confianza moderado y las otras con un grado de confianza sumamente bajo. Se comprobó una falta de estudios en los que se compararan el uso de estrategias de telesalud con la atención presencial para promover la alimentación saludable de la población adulta. Los resultados más coherentes se refieren al aumento del consumo de frutas y verduras con el uso de aplicaciones móviles o de mensajes de texto, así como a la mejora del patrón alimentario de las personas con diabetes o con intolerancia a la glucosa con el uso de mensajes de texto. Conclusión: La mayoría de los análisis de las intervenciones en las que se emplearon aplicaciones de telefonía móvil o mensajes de texto mostraron efectos positivos en los resultados relativos a una alimentación saludable. Sin embargo, estos hallazgos se refieren a unos pocos ensayos clínicos con pequeñas muestras de participantes incluidos en las revisiones sistemáticas del presente examen rápido, en su mayoría de baja calidad metodológica. En conclusión, existe una laguna en los conocimientos y es importante realizar estudios con una metodología más sólida.

Performance bonuses and the quality of primary health care delivered by family health teams in Brazil: A difference-in-differences analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pay-for-performance (P4P) programmes to incentivise health providers to improve quality of care have been widely implemented globally. Despite intuitive appeal, evidence on the effectiveness of P4P is mixed, potentially due to differences in how schemes are designed. We exploited municipality variation in the design features of Brazil's National Programme for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality (PMAQ) to examine whether performance bonuses given to family health team workers were associated with changes in the quality of care and whether the size of bonus mattered. METHODS AND FINDINGS: For this quasi-experimental study, we used a difference-in-differences approach combined with matching. We compared changes over time in the quality of care delivered by family health teams between (bonus) municipalities that chose to use some or all of the PMAQ money to provide performance-related bonuses to team workers with (nonbonus) municipalities that invested the funds using traditional input-based budgets. The primary outcome was the PMAQ score, a quality of care index on a scale of 0 to 100, based on several hundred indicators (ranging from 598 to 660) of health care delivery. We did one-to-one matching of bonus municipalities to nonbonus municipalities based on baseline demographic and economic characteristics. On the matched sample, we used ordinary least squares regression to estimate the association of any bonus and size of bonus with the prepost change over time (between November 2011 and October 2015) in the PMAQ score. We performed subgroup analyses with respect to the local area income of the family health team. The matched analytical sample comprised 2,346 municipalities (1,173 nonbonus municipalities; 1,173 bonus municipalities), containing 10,275 family health teams that participated in PMAQ from the outset. Bonus municipalities were associated with a 4.6 (95% CI: 2.7 to 6.4; p < 0.001) percentage point increase in the PMAQ score compared with nonbonus municipalities. The association with quality of care increased with the size of bonus: the largest bonus group saw an improvement of 8.2 percentage points (95% CI: 6.2 to 10.2; p < 0.001) compared with the control. The subgroup analysis showed that the observed improvement in performance was most pronounced in the poorest two-fifths of localities. The limitations of the study include the potential for bias from unmeasured time-varying confounding and the fact that the PMAQ score has not been validated as a measure of quality of care. CONCLUSIONS: Performance bonuses to family health team workers compared with traditional input-based budgets were associated with an improvement in the quality of care.

Strategies for the implementation of clinical practice guidelines in public health: an overview of systematic reviews.

BACKGROUND: As a source of readily available evidence, rigorously synthesized and interpreted by expert clinicians and methodologists, clinical guidelines are part of an evidence-based practice toolkit, which, transformed into practice recommendations, have the potential to improve both the process of care and patient outcomes. In Brazil, the process of development and updating of the clinical guidelines for the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS) is already well systematized by the Ministry of Health. However, the implementation process of those guidelines has not yet been discussed and well structured. Therefore, the first step of this project and the primary objective of this study was to summarize the evidence on the effectiveness of strategies used to promote clinical practice guideline implementation and dissemination. METHODS: This overview used systematic review methodology to locate and evaluate published systematic reviews regarding strategies for clinical practice guideline implementation and adhered to the PRISMA guidelines for systematic review (PRISMA). RESULTS: This overview identified 36 systematic reviews regarding 30 strategies targeting healthcare organizations, healthcare providers and patients to promote guideline implementation. The most reported interventions were educational materials, educational meetings, reminders, academic detailing and audit and feedback. Care pathways-single intervention, educational meeting-single intervention, organizational culture, and audit and feedback-both strategies implemented in combination with others-were strategies categorized as generally effective from the systematic reviews. In the meta-analyses, when used alone, organizational culture, educational intervention and reminders proved to be effective in promoting physicians' adherence to the guidelines. When used in conjunction with other strategies, organizational culture also proved to be effective. For patient-related outcomes, education intervention showed effective results for disease target results at a short and long term. CONCLUSION: This overview provides a broad summary of the best evidence on guideline implementation. Even if the included literature highlights the various limitations related to the lack of standardization, the methodological quality of the studies, and especially the lack of conclusion about the superiority of one strategy over another, the summary of the results provided by this study provides information on strategies that have been most widely studied in the last few years and their effectiveness in the context in which they were applied. Therefore, this panorama can support strategy decision-making adequate for SUS and other health systems, seeking to positively impact on the appropriate use of guidelines, healthcare outcomes and the sustainability of the SUS.

Domains and processes for institutionalizing evidence-informed health policy-making: a critical interpretive synthesis.

BACKGROUND: While calls for institutionalization of evidence-informed policy-making (EIP) have become stronger in recent years, there is a paucity of methods that governments and organizational knowledge brokers can use to sustain and integrate EIP as part of mainstream health policy-making. The objective of this paper was to conduct a knowledge synthesis of the published and grey literatures to develop a theoretical framework with the key features of EIP institutionalization. METHODS: We applied a critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) that allowed for a systematic, yet iterative and dynamic analysis of heterogeneous bodies of literature to develop an explanatory framework for EIP institutionalization. We used a "compass" question to create a detailed search strategy and conducted electronic searches to identify papers based on their potential relevance to EIP institutionalization. Papers were screened and extracted independently and in duplicate. A constant comparative method was applied to develop a framework on EIP institutionalization. The CIS was triangulated with the findings of stakeholder dialogues that involved civil servants, policy-makers and researchers. RESULTS: We identified 3001 references, of which 88 papers met our eligibility criteria. This CIS resulted in a definition of EIP institutionalization as the "process and outcome of (re-)creating, maintaining and reinforcing norms, regulations, and standard practices that, based on collective meaning and values, actions as well as endowment of resources, allow evidence to become-over time-a legitimate and taken-for-granted part of health policy-making". The resulting theoretical framework comprised six key domains of EIP institutionalization that capture both structure and agency: (1) governance; (2) standards and routinized processes; (3) partnership, collective action and support; (4) leadership and commitment; (5) resources; and (6) culture. Furthermore, EIP institutionalization is being achieved through five overlapping stages: (i) precipitating events; (ii) de-institutionalization; (iii) semi-institutionalization (comprising theorization and diffusion); (iv) (re)-institutionalization; and (v) renewed de-institutionalization processes. CONCLUSIONS: This CIS advances the theoretical and conceptual discussions on EIP institutionalization, and provides new insights into an evidence-informed framework for initiating, strengthening and/or assessing efforts to institutionalize EIP.

An integrated optical modulator operating at cryogenic temperatures.

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) operating at cryogenic temperatures are fundamental building blocks required to achieve scalable quantum computing and cryogenic computing technologies1,2. Silicon PICs have matured for room-temperature applications, but their cryogenic performance is limited by the absence of efficient low-temperature electro-optic modulation. Here we demonstrate electro-optic switching and modulation from room temperature down to 4 K by using the Pockels effect in integrated barium titanate (BaTiO3) devices3. We investigate the temperature dependence of the nonlinear optical properties of BaTiO3, showing an effective Pockels coefficient of 200 pm V-1 at 4 K. The fabricated devices show an electro-optic bandwidth of 30 GHz, ultralow-power tuning that is 109 times more efficient than thermal tuning, and high-speed data modulation at 20 Gbps. Our results demonstrate a missing component for cryogenic PICs, removing major roadblocks for the realization of cryogenic-compatible systems in the field of quantum computing, supercomputing and sensing, and for interfacing those systems with instrumentation at room temperature.

Public engagement in health technology assessment in Brazil: the case of the public consultation on National Clinical Guidelines for Care in Normal Birth.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of public engagement in health technology assessment. However, there is still uncertainty regarding how the results should be recorded, analyzed, and used by decision makers. OBJECTIVE: Synthesize the contributions of the Brazilian public (women, health professionals, managers, educational institutions, and companies) about the implementation of the National Clinical Guidelines for Care in Normal Birth from the public consultation carried out in Brazil. METHOD: IRaMuTeQ software was used to organize and summarize the corpus based on three types of analysis: descriptive statistics; descending hierarchical classification; and specificities analysis. The public consultation was conducted in 2016 by the National Committee for Health Technology Incorporation (CONITEC) in the Brazilian public health system as part of the guideline development process. RESULTS: The corpus consisted of 303 texts, separated into 1233 text segments, 1081 of which were used, corresponding to retention of 87.67%. Five classes emerged from our analyses: mandatory presence of an obstetrician during labor and delivery in hospital settings; barriers and facilitators for guideline implementation; use of evidence-based practices by health professionals; progression of labor and delivery and women's rights; and mobilization to promote the guideline For each class, the most frequent words and sentences with the highest chi-squared scores were presented. Barriers were associated with lack of financial resources, training and professional motivation, and facilitators with training to change the practices of health professionals. Obstetric nurses emerged as an alternative for supervising normal births as well as the mandatory presence of an obstetrician during childbirth in hospital settings. CONCLUSION: Our findings summarize the contributions provided by the Brazilian public and shed some light on the barriers and facilitators of clinical guidelines for care in normal birth. These topics are not typically explored by quantitative studies. Including this information in the decision-making process would not only increase public engagement, but provide greater evidence for implementing the clinical guidelines nationwide.

Barriers to implementing childbirth recommendations in Brazil: the women's perspective.

OBJECTIVE: To identify barriers to the implementation of National Childbirth Guidelines in Brazil from the women's perspective. METHODS: A descriptive exploratory study was performed using a qualitative approach and an interpretive perspective. The hermeneutic unit of analysis was established based on the contribution of users to a public online consultation about the National Childbirth Guidelines in Brazil, performed in 2016 by the National Committee for Health Technology Incorporation into the Unified Health System (CONITEC). Content analysis techniques were used to examine the answers provided to the following specific question: "Considering your local reality, what would hinder the implementation of this protocol or guideline?" RESULTS: Of 396 contributions recorded by CONITEC, 55 were included in the content analysis. The mean age of women was 31 years, with most self-declared as white (69%) and living in the Southeast of Brazil (56.3%). Coding revealed seven barrier categories, which were grouped into three families - barriers related to 1) professional training and culture (which highlighted the centrality of physicians, not women, in childbirth), 2) social culture (general population not well informed), and 3) political and management issues (little interest on the part of managers, lower physician compensation for vaginal childbirth vs. cesarian section, and poor hospital infrastructure). CONCLUSIONS: Aspects of professional training and culture, social culture, and political as well as management issues are critical points to be considered in future interventions aiming at overcoming or weakening the barriers to implementing childbirth recommendations in Brazil.

Barriers to implementing guideline recommendations to improve childbirth care: a rapid review of evidence.

OBJECTIVE: To identify potential barriers to the implementation of the National Childbirth Guidelines in Brazil based on the best available global evidence. METHOD: A rapid review of evidence was performed in six databases in March/April 2019. Secondary studies published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese with a focus on barriers of any nature relating to the implementation of the Guidelines were retrieved. RESULTS: Twenty-three documents (21 reviews and two practice guides) were included in the review. The barriers identified were grouped into 52 meaning categories and then reorganized into nine thematic clusters: delivery and childbirth care model, human resource management, knowledge and beliefs, gender relations, health care service management, attitudes and behaviors, communication, socioeconomic conditions, and political interests. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that combined approaches may be required to address different barriers to the implementation of the Guidelines. For successful implementation, it is essential to engage health care leaders, professionals, and users in the effort to change the delivery and childbirth care model. Also necessary is the development of intersectoral initiatives to improve the socioeconomic conditions of women and families and to curtail gender inequalities.

Genomic Epidemiology of 2015-2016 Zika Virus Outbreak in Cape Verde.

During 2015-2016, Cape Verde, an island nation off the coast of West Africa, experienced a Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak involving 7,580 suspected Zika cases and 18 microcephaly cases. Analysis of the complete genomes of 3 ZIKV isolates from the outbreak indicated the strain was of the Asian (not African) lineage. The Cape Verde ZIKV sequences formed a distinct monophylogenetic group and possessed 1-2 (T659A, I756V) unique amino acid changes in the envelope protein. Phylogeographic and serologic evidence support earlier introduction of this lineage into Cape Verde, possibly from northeast Brazil, between June 2014 and August 2015, suggesting cryptic circulation of the virus before the initial wave of cases were detected in October 2015. These findings underscore the utility of genomic-scale epidemiology for outbreak investigations.