Nimble, efficient and evolving: the rapid response of the National Collaborating Centres to COVID-19 in Canada. / Agiles, efficients et en évolution : la réponse rapide des Centres de collaboration nationale à la COVID-19 au Canada.

Since December 2019, there has been a global explosion of research on COVID-19. In Canada, the six National Collaborating Centres (NCCs) for Public Health form one of the central pillars supporting evidence-informed decision making by gathering, synthesizing and translating emerging findings. Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and located across Canada, the six NCCs promote and support the use of scientific research and other knowledges to strengthen public health practice, programs and policies. This paper offers an overview of the NCCs as an example of public health knowledge mobilization in Canada and showcases the NCCs' contribution to the COVID-19 response while reflecting on the numerous challenges encountered.

The explosion of research on COVID-19 in Canada and around the world called for an improved capacity to support evidence-informed decision making (EIDM). Canada is fostering various mechanisms to achieve this goal; the National Collaborating Centres (NCCs) for Public Health are central to supporting EIDM during the pandemic. The NCCs, a network of networks anchored on six unique knowledge hubs, are well connected to provincial, territorial, local and international partners. In response to COVID-19, the NCCs are making an important contribution to building knowledge, skills and capacity in the public health sector, and to supporting public health professionals in synthesizing and using evidence-informed knowledge in policy and practice.

L'explosion de la recherche menée sur la COVID-19 au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde a nécessité une augmentation de la capacité à soutenir la prise de décisions informées par les données probantes. Parmi les divers mécanismes préconisés par le Canada pour atteindre cet objectif, les Centres de collaboration nationale (CCN) en santé publique jouent un rôle essentiel pendant la pandémie pour soutenir la prise de décisions informées par les données probantes. Les CCN, qui constituent un réseau de réseaux s'appuyant sur six centres de connaissances, ont des liens étroits avec plusieurs partenaires provinciaux, territoriaux, locaux et internationaux. Pour lutter contre la COVID-19, les CCN renforcent de façon significative les connaissances, les compétences et les capacités en santé publique et soutiennent les professionnels en santé publique en synthétisant des connaissances fondées sur des données probantes pour leur intégration aux politiques et aux pratiques.

Canada's National Collaborating Centres: Facilitating evidence-informed decision-making in public health.

Although evidence-informed decision-making is fundamental to public health, it is challenging in practice as there is a continual burgeoning of both evidence and emerging issues, which public health professionals need to address at local, regional and national levels. One way that Canada has addressed this perennial challenge is through its six National Collaborating Centres (NCCs). The NCCs for Public Health were created to promote and support the use of scientific research and other knowledge to strengthen public health practice, programs and policies in Canada. The NCCs identify knowledge gaps, foster networks across sectors and jurisdictions and provide the public health system with an array of evidence-informed resources and knowledge translation services. Each centre is hosted in academic or government organizations across Canada and focuses on a specific public health priority: Determinants of Health; Environmental Health; Healthy Public Policy; Indigenous Health; Infectious Diseases; and Knowledge Translation Methods and Tools. Since their launch in 2005, the NCCs have undergone two federal evaluations, the results of which clearly demonstrate their significant contribution to evidence-informed decision-making in public health in Canada, while identifying some opportunities for future growth. The NCCs successfully help to bridge the gaps between evidence, policy and practice and facilitate the implementation of evidence in multiple, often complex, settings.

A scoping review of definitions and frameworks of intersectoral action.

Intersectoral action is rooted in all health promotion activities because the determinants of health lie outside of the health sector. Despite the increasing use of these terms (intersectoral action, intersectoral action for health, intersectoral collaboration), often interchangeably, we noted a lack of consensus on their definitions and conceptualizations. The objective of this paper is to report the results of a scoping review of the use of definitions for a set of related terms as well as for conceptual frameworks, including the discussion of the evolution of those definitions and the sectors that use them. Finally, we propose a single definition for each term. We conducted a systematic search for documents published between January, 1960 and March, 2011 in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. We retrieved 11 to 15 definitions per main term. Using a content analysis approach, an integrative conceptual definition was proposed for four main terms. Furthermore, in reviewing frameworks for potential use, we noted the lack of a comprehensive framework for intersectoral processes.

A scoping review of definitions and frameworks of intersectoral action / Revisão de âmbito das definições e modelos conceituais de ações intersetoriais

AbstractIntersectoral action is rooted in all health promotion activities because the determinants of health lie outside of the health sector. Despite the increasing use of these terms (intersectoral action, intersectoral action for health, intersectoral collaboration), often interchangeably, we noted a lack of consensus on their definitions and conceptualizations. The objective of this paper is to report the results of a scoping review of the use of definitions for a set of related terms as well as for conceptual frameworks, including the discussion of the evolution of those definitions and the sectors that use them. Finally, we propose a single definition for each term. We conducted a systematic search for documents published between January, 1960 and March, 2011 in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. We retrieved 11 to 15 definitions per main term. Using a content analysis approach, an integrative conceptual definition was proposed for four main terms. Furthermore, in reviewing frameworks for potential use, we noted the lack of a comprehensive framework for intersectoral processes.

ResumoAção intersetorial faz parte de todas as atividades de promoção da saúde, porque a maioria dos seus determinantes estão localizados fora desse setor. Apesar do crescente uso desses termos (ação intersetorial, ação intersetorial para a saúde e colaboração intersetorial), muitas vezes utilizados como sinônimos, notamos uma falta de consenso em suas definições e conceituações. O objetivo deste trabalho é descrever o resultado de uma revisão em busca de definições para um conjunto de termos relacionados, bem como para modelos conceituais, incluindo uma discussão da evolução dessas definições e os setores que os utilizam. Finalmente, nós propomos uma definição única para cada termo. Assim, realizamos uma busca sistemática de documentos publicadas entre janeiro de 1960 e março de 2011, em inglês, francês, espanhol e português. Foram encontrados entre 11 e 15 definições por termo principal. Neste contexto, propomos uma definição conceitual integrativa para quatro termos principais, usando uma abordagem de análise de conteúdo. Além disso, na revisão de modelos conceituais, percebemos a falta de um abrangente de processos intersetoriais.