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Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
This document provides guidance on conducting after-action reviews (AARs) of the public health response to COVID-19. It offers a methodological approach that combines interactive workshops and interviews and includes practical implementation tools. The document builds upon previous ECDC guidance and aims to support countries in designing AARs for the response to COVID-19. AARs help review actions taken during a public health event, identify best practices and areas for improvement, and contribute to continuous quality improvement in emergency preparedness and response planning. The guidance is adaptable for national and sub-national contexts and targets public health experts from EU/EEA Member States, EU candidate and potential candidate countries, and European Neighbourhood Policy countries.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
Peer Review Study
This study conducted interviews with public health professionals from local and state health departments to understand their experiences in providing comprehensive COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing with refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities. The research identified six themes related to promising practices, including understanding the community and public health context, cultivating relationships, ensuring linguistic and cultural concordance, communicating intentionally, evolving response strategies, and implementing equity measures. These findings aim to inform proactive, community-engaged solutions for public health organizations working with these communities during public health crises, such as COVID-19, to improve collaborations and staff wellbeing.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
“In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Indigenous population, known as Māori, carries a disproportionate burden of disease compared to the settler population. The Treaty of Waitangi, a national treaty negotiated between Māori and the British Crown, guarantees Māori sovereignty, protects their interests, and promotes their well-being. It is considered central to ethical public health and health promotion practices in the country but its application is variable. The article underscores the significance of incorporating Indigenous knowledge and leadership into public health curricula to address health inequities and decolonize the field. It calls for a shift towards prioritizing Indigenous perspectives, values, and frameworks, and fostering meaningful relationships between communities, educators, and Indigenous peoples.
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Novel Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and are in the process of generating evidence of effectiveness or may not yet be tested.
RELEASE DATE:
Summary Report/Recommendations
This article describes structural barriers contributing to inequitable health outcomes for people living with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides policy recommendations (based on Canadian examples) to address structural barriers that exacerbated the effects of the pandemic on people living with dementia.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
Systematic Review/Meta-Analysis
A review of best practices for COVID-19 infection prevention and control in long-term care facilities. These included establishing surveillance measures, revising staffing and visitor policies, and clearly communicating health measures and case numbers. The authors highlight the need for additional support and resources for long-term care facilities to address the pandemic over time. The article also provides updated guidelines for rapid situation analyses.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
RELEASE DATE:
Summary Report/Recommendations
This guidance was developed by the World Health Organization and outlines various public health measures that can be implemented to reduce the spread and impact of COVID-19. Some of the measures outlined include personal protective practices, physical distancing in various situations, and special protective measures for at-risk populations. Policies at the community level are also identified to protect access to food and water, protect the economy, and maintain essential health services functioning.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
Peer Review Study
This article presents the results of a non-randomized cohort study comparing opioid agonist therapy (medication assisted treatment [MAT]) for opioid use disorder received via telemedicine, in-person, or a mix of telemedicine and in-person visits. The study was conducted between January 2011 and June 2012 in Ontario, Canada. The telemedicine group had the highest one-year treatment retention rate, followed by the mixed group, and the in-person group had the lowest one-year treatment retention rate. The results suggest telemedicine could be an effective means of increasing access to MAT for opioid use disorder. It should be noted that the study was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and replicability will vary based on local resources and MAT regulations.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
RELEASE DATE:
Peer Review Study
The intervention outlined in this study took place at a hospital in Italy, and was designed to reduce or prevent provider burnout during the onset of the pandemic. The intervention included having six psychologists always present in the clinical setting to provide on-site as needed services to physicians, nurses, and other hospital staff. A PTSD short scale survey was also conducted to better understand the mental health needs of the providers in the hospital (such as psychosis, sleep problems, mania, suicidal ideation, and more). Providers noting mild to moderate symptoms were offered up to five sessions with a psychologist or psychotherapist.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
Systematic Review/Meta-Analysis
This is a list of recommendations based on a review of the literature focusing on promoting health equity in the delivery of virtual care. The authors conducted a narrative review of literature on health equity and virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic published in 2020, describing strategies that have been proposed in the literature at three levels: (1) policy and government, (2) organizations and health systems, and (3) communities and patients. They discuss three strategies for promoting health equity through virtual care: (1) simplifying complex interfaces and workflows, (2) using supportive intermediaries, and (3) creating mechanisms through which marginalized community members can provide immediate input into the planning and delivery of virtual care.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
Peer Review Study
This is a rapid review of peer-reviewed and grey literature summarizing guidance for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in custodial settings in the first six months of 2020. The review summarizes global recommendations across 19 domains including: preparedness; physical environments; case identification, screening, and management; communication; external access and visitation; psychological and emotional support; recreation, legal, and health service adaptation; decarceration; release and community reintegration; workforce logistics; surveillance and information sharing; independent monitoring; compensatory measures; lifting control measures; evaluation; and key populations/ settings. The authors also identify a few conflicting recommendations.