Grant: Catalyst Grant: Ethics

There is controversy about how methodology of systematic reviews affects their ability to inform decisions about public health. Decisions about public health may require tradeoffs in respect for persons, concern for welfare and justice. This Ethics Catalyst grant aims to identify how methodological design issues affect the ability of systematic reviews to inform public health decisions. The project involves two linked studies: 1) assessment of 36 systematic reviews and their included studies across seven methodological issues; and 2) Delphi survey to identify other methodological issues that relate to ethics. The outcomes of this Ethics Catalyst grant are experience for a new investigator in Ethics Research (Vivian Welch), and the collection of pilot data for future operating grants on how to design and conduct public and population health systematic reviews and primary research. Two open-access publications are planned. The knowledge translation strategy will include presentation at the international Cochrane Colloquium and the national Canadian Public Health Association meeting, which both include policy-makers, funders and researchers in clinical epidemiology and population and public health.