A Stepped Approach for Knowledge Synthesis to Rapidly Inform Clinical Decisions: Methods and Lessons Learned during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Introduction: Traditional knowledge synthesis approaches can prove difficult to undertake due to their complexity and could shift away from the reality of the problem they want to address. This paper aims to present a methodological approach to conduct a stepped knowledge synthesis in a very short time, while ensuring stakeholder engagement. Information sources: A knowledge synthesis was conducted in collaboration with stakeholders to provide a rapid response to a clinical issue identified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion: The stepped approach combined the rapid review, discussion workshop, Delphi consultation and meta-analysis methods, engaging stakeholders at every stage: 1) a rapid review of systematic reviews provided knowledge to inform clinical decisions within a few weeks, 2-3) a discussion workshop and a Delphi method respectively made it possible to define and prioritize the orientations for a more in-depth analysis of the vast literature identified, 4) a secondary meta-analysis of data from primary studies was able to respond to specific requests from knowledge users. The rapidity of sequence and execution of methods also highlighted methodological weaknesses in method design and development. Implications and conclusion: A stepped approach to knowledge synthesis makes it possible to answer quickly to the needs of knowledge users while ensuring the quality and relevance of findings to support decision-making.