Effectiveness of the non-pharmaceutical public health interventions against COVID-19; a protocol of a systematic review and realist review

Abstract

Background Without any pharmaceutical intervention and vaccination, the only way to combat Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is to slow down the spread of the disease by adopting nonpharmaceutical public health interventions (PHIs). Patient isolation, lockdown, quarantine, social distancing, changes in health care provision, and mass screening are the most common non-pharmaceutical PHIs to cope with the epidemic. However, there is neither systematic evidence on the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical PHIs in controlling the COVID-19 nor on how these interventions work in different contexts. Therefore, in this study we will address two main objectives: 1) to assess the effectiveness of the non-pharmaceutical PHIs in controlling the spread of COVID-19 using a systematic review and meta-analyses; 2) to explore why, how, and for whom these interventions work using a realist review. Materials and methods This review study has two main phases. In the first phase of this study, we will extract data from two main types of studies including quasi-experimental studies (such as quasi-randomized trials, controlled before-after studies (CBAs) and interrupted time series studies (ITSs)) and observational studies (such as cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies), written in the English language. We will explore effectiveness of the non-pharmaceutical PHIs targeted either suppression or mitigation strategies (or a combination of both) in controlling the COVID-19 epidemics in the community level. Effectiveness will be considered as the changes in mortality rate, incidence rate, basic reproduction number rate, morbidity rate, rates of hospitalization, rates of intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization, and other health This is a Registered Report and may have an associated publication; please check the article page on the journal site for any related articles.

The Impact of Health Literacy on Knowledge and Attitudes towards Preventive Strategies against COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The fast development of coronavirus disease called for people to acquire health information and to apply it, adapting their behavior at a fast pace [ 2 ]. Since vaccination is still proceeding at a slow rate, and in the absence of a specific treatment, adopting non-pharmacological public health interventions became really important to combat COVID-19 by slowing down the virus transmission [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”

The short-term impacts of coronavirus quarantine in São Paulo: The health-economy trade-offs

“…Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are a critical recommendation in halting the spread of COVID-19 in the absence of an effective treatment or vaccine [ 1 ]. Social distancing is a key NPI, which aims to increase the distance between individuals and to reduce the frequency of social interactions through, for example, the closure of workplaces and schools, and the suspension of social activities, events and large gatherings [ 2 ].…”

Responding to a Pandemic Through Social and Behavior Change Communication: Nigeria's Experience

“… 16 , 17 Nonpharmaceutical interventions have been prioritized globally as control measures for COVID-19, in the absence of an effective vaccine. 18 The introduction of these interventions has required rapid behavior change through community engagement at all levels of the society.…”