This page provides links and resources for planning, conducting, and reporting your equity-relevant systematic review. For additional training materials, including webinars, please visit the Training and Webinars page.
Resources for Cochrane Authors
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
Chapter 16: Equity and specific populations
Welch VA, Petkovic J, Jull J, Hartling L, Klassen T, Kristjansson E, Pardo Pardo J, Petticrew M, Stott DJ, Thomson D, Ueffing E, Williams K, Young C, Tugwell P. Chapter 16: Equity and specific populations. In: Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 6.2 (updated Febuary 2021). Cochrane, 2021. Available from www.training.cochrane.org/handbook.
Cochrane Interactive Learning
Module 11: Health equity in systematic reviews. This module will give you an introduction to health equity considerations when planning and conducting a systematic review.
PRO-EDI: improving how equity, diversity and inclusion are handled in evidence synthesis: https://www.trialforge.org/trial-diversity/pro-edi/
PRISMA-Equity extension: Equity — PRISMA statement (prisma-statement.org)
PROGRESS-Plus: https://methods.cochrane.org/equity/projects/evidence-equity/progress-plus
Conducting evidence synthesis/methods
Racism and Health I: Pathways and Scientific Evidence: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3863357/
Global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) synthesis coalition: https://www.sdgsynthesiscoalition.org/
Cochrane ACTIVE: https://training.cochrane.org/ACTIVE
Identifying Social Factors that Stratify Health Opportunities & Outcomes (ISSHOOs): https://www.isshoos.org/
Conducting guidelines/methods
GRADE Equity Guidelines: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5675012/
Dewidar O, Pardo JP, Welch V, Hazlewood GS, Darzi AJ, Barnabe C, Pottie K, Petkovic J, Kuria S, Sha Z, Allam S, Busse JW, Schünemann HJ, Tugwell P. Operationalizing the GRADE-equity criterion to inform guideline recommendations: application to a medical cannabis guideline. J Clin Epidemiol. 2024 Jan;165:111185. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2023.10.001. Epub 2023 Nov 11. PMID: 37952701.
ROBVALU: a tool for assessing risk of bias in studies about people’s values, utilities, or importance of health outcomes: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2024-079890
Identifying Social Factors that Stratify Health Opportunities & Outcomes (ISSHOOs): https://www.isshoos.org/
Dewidar O, Kawala BA, Antequera A, Tricco AC, Tovey D, Straus S, Glover R, et al. Methodological guidance for incorporating equity when informing rapid-policy and guideline development. J Clin Epidemiol. 2022:150:142-153.
Examples:
The Canadian Guidelines for Post COVID-19 Condition (CAN-PCC): https://canpcc.ca/home/
Generic resources
Justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigenous reconciliation (JEDI-IR) resource from Macmaster University: https://hei-steer.healthsci.mcmaster.ca/resources/
A tutorial on methodological studies: the what, when, how and why: https://bmcmedresmethodol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12874-020-01107-7
European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity: https://allea.org/code-of-conduct/
Lotfi T, Welch V, Pardo Pardo J, Petkovic J, Treweek S, Darzi AJ, Glover R, et al. Equity in evidence synthesis: You can’t play on broken strings. Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods. 2024;2:e12091
Parker R, Petkovic J, Pardo Pardo J, Darzi A, Dewidar O, Khabsa J, Kristjansson E, et al. The equity group: Supporting Cochrane's social responsibility of improving health equity. Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods. 2023;1:e12012.
Priority setting
WHO priority setting process for better refugee and migrant health: https://www.who.int/news/item/30-10-2023-who-outlines-crucial-research-priorities-for-better-refugee-and-migrant-health
Identifying Social Factors that Stratify Health Opportunities & Outcomes (ISSHOOs): https://www.isshoos.org/
James Lind Library priority setting partnerships: https://www.jla.nihr.ac.uk/priority-setting-partnerships/
Interest holder Engagement
Parker R, Tomlinson E, Concannon TW, Akl E, Petkovic J, Welch VA, Crowe S, et al. Factors to consider during identification and invitation of individuals in a multi-stakeholder research project. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2022. DOI:10.1007/s11606-022-07411-w
Cochrane ACTIVE: https://training.cochrane.org/ACTIVE
Engagement resources from Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): https://www.pcori.org/engagement/research-fundamentals
PCORI Engagement Toolkit: https://www.pcori.org/engagement/research-fundamentals/promotional-toolkit
GRIPP2 reporting checklists: tools to improve reporting of patient and public involvement in research: https://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j3453
Examples and good practice:
3ie Stakeholder Engagement and Communication Plan for Systematic Reviews:
www.3ieimpact.org/sites/default/files/2018-12/3ie_SECP%20template.pdf
The Bridge Engagement Centre: https://bridgeengagement.ca/
Preferred Terms for Select Population Groups & Communities from CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/Preferred_Terms.html
Reporting guidelines
GRIPP2 reporting checklists: tools to improve reporting of patient and public involvement in research: https://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j3453
PRISMA-Equity extension: Equity — PRISMA statement (prisma-statement.org)
Ethnicity in trials: RECONSIDER by BIanca Brijnath in Australia https://www.equator-network.org/library/reporting-guidelines-under-development/reporting-guidelines-under-development-for-clinical-trials/#RECONSIDER
GRIPP2 reporting checklists: tools to improve reporting of patient and public involvement in research: https://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j3453