Programme

An overview of the programme is available here

PROGRAMME 
Tuesday, 13 July 2021
Welcome and Plenary 1 (09h00 - 11h00 [WAT])
Role of evidence-based healthcare in Africa
Chairs: Chris Bode and Lawrence Mbuagbaw
Martin Meremikwu
Prof Meremikwu is the Director of Cochrane Nigeria and a tenured professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at the College of Medical Sciences University of Calabar in Cross River State, Nigeria
Title: The role of evidence-based healthcare in Africa

Taryn Young
Prof Young is the Director of the Centre for Evidence-based Health Care and Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Stellenbosch University
Title: Evidence informed practices in low- and middle-income countries: implementation opportunities and barriers

Simon Lewin
Dr Lewin is a Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and a Chief Specialist Scientist at the South African Medical Research Council
Title: How can qualitative evidence contribute to facilitating the adaptation for national contexts of WHO guidelines?

Break (11h00 - 11h15 [WAT])
Plenary 2 (11h15 - 12h15 [WAT])
Cochrane Nigeria launch
Chairs: Ikpeme A. Ikpeme and Seyi Oniyangi
Angela Oyo-Ita
Welcome
WHO Nigeria and CMD National Hospital
Goodwill messages
Emmanuel Effa
Cochrane Nigeria: 15 years on
Minister of Health/Representative
Launch of Cochrane Nigeria
Mohammed Nasir Sambo
Keynote address: Reducing waste, improving quality: the role of practice clinical guidelines
Martin Meremikwu
Closing
Break (12h15 - 12h30 [WAT])
Workshops (12h30 - 15h00 [WAT])
Clinical practice and public health guidelines
Workshop: 

Developing clinical practice guidelines
Facilitators: Michael McCaul and Celeste Naude
This interactive workshop aims to provide you with the basic knowledge, resources, and examples on how to navigate the CPG evidence eco-system in a practical and meaningful manner. The workshop is tailored to both participants who are new to guidelines and those who have been involved with guidelines for many years. For more information click here

GRADE for guideline developers
Facilitator: Ekpereonne Esu
More than 110 organisations including World Health Organization, Cochrane, and several professional health groups around the world have endorsed or are using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). GRADE is used to produce rigorous and transparent clinical practice guidelines and other healthcare recommendations. GRADE is a standardised and transparent approach to assessing the certainty of evidence and the strength of healthcare recommendations. This workshop aims to provide participants with an introduction to the complete process of guideline development with GRADE. For more information click here

Critical appraisal of clinical practice guidelines
Facilitator: Olabisi Oduwole
This part of the workshop on clinical practice guidelines will introduce participants to the need to critically appraise clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), what methods exist and the use of the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool to critically appraise CPGs. Participants are requested to download the tool ahead of the workshop here   

For more information click here

Break (15h00 - 15h15 [WAT])
Abstract poster presentations (15h15 - 16h15 [WAT])
Chair: Solange Durao
Networking (16h15 - 17h45 [WAT])


Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Plenary 3 (09h00 - 11h00 [WAT])
Linking evidence to policy and practice for emerging infectious disease management 
Chairs: Afolabi Lesi and Pierre Ongolo-Zogo
Tamara Kredo
Dr Kredo is a Senior Specialist Scientist at Cochrane South Africa at the South African Medical Research Council and co-director of the Cochrane African Network
Title: Rapid reviews in the face of emerging diseases

Babatunde Salako
Prof Salako is the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research 
Title: Engaging policymakers in West Africa towards controlling infectious disease outbreaks

Stanley Okolo
Prof Okolo is the Director General of the West African Health Organisation
Title: Confronting emerging diseases in the West Africa subregion - leveraging opportunities for evidence-based healthcare policy and practice

Karla Soares-Weiser
Dr Soares-Weiser is the Editor-in-Chief of the Cochrane Library
Title: Cochrane's response to COVID-19: lessons learned and future implications

Break (11h00 - 11h15 [WAT])
Panel discussion (11h15 - 12h15 [WAT])
Improving quality of healthcare delivery for universal health coverage
Moderator: Bridget Nwagbara 
Panellists
Charles Wiysonge
Prof Wiysonge is the Director at Cochrane South Africa at the South African Medical Research Council

Alsi Kulane
Dr Kulane is Associate Professor in International Health at the Equity & Health Policy Research Group, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Break (12h15 - 12h30 [WAT])
Workshops (12h30 - 15h00 [WAT])
Evidence-based healthcare and systematic reviews
Workshop 1: Developing a systematic review protocol
Facilitators: Moriam Chibuzor and Dachi Arikpo
This workshop is targeted at researchers who are considering authoring a systematic review. For more information click here
Workshop 2: Risk of bias for non-randomized studies
Facilitators: Babasola Okusanya and Ameer Hohlfeld
The workshop is targeted at researchers interested in non-randomised controlled trials and Cochrane authors doing reviews that include non-randomised studies. For more information click here
Workshop 3: Introduction to qualitative research synthesis
Facilitators: Sara Cooper and Bey-Marrie Schmidt
This workshop will provide a brief overview of what Qualitative Evidence Synthesis (QES) is, how its findings can be applied, and the key methodological steps in conducting a QES. For more information click here
Break (15h00 - 15h15 [WAT])
Abstract poster presentations (15h15 - 16h15 [WAT])
Chair: Joseph Okebe


Thursday, 15 July 2021
Plenary 4 (09h00 - 11h00 [WAT])
Sustainable partnership for evidence informed decision making
Chairs: Godwin Aja and Bosede Afolabi
West African Hub (Moriam Chibuzor, Cochrane Nigeria)
Title: Engaging consumers to identify information needs (case studies)
Co-ordinating Hub (Solange Durao, Cochrane SA)
Title: Advocating for evidence
Francophone Hub (Pierre Ongolo-Zogo, Cochrane Cameroon)
Title: Priority setting for evidence assessments
Lawrence Mbuagbaw/Clemence Ongolo-Zogo
Title: The Cameroon Health Research and Evidence database
Centre for Evidence-based Health Care (Taryn Young, Stellenbosch University)
Title: Research, Evidence and Development Initiative (READ-It): evidence synthesis for sustainable development in Africa
Break (11h00 - 11h15 [WAT])

Cochrane African Network Contributors Meeting (11h15 - 12h15 [WAT])

This session is open for all those working with or interested in Cochrane in sub-Saharan Africa. In this session we will introduce the coordination team and recap the main objectives of the Network. As we plan our next 5-year strategy, we will invite your views on key research priority areas and stakeholders for Cochrane Africa. We will also share our plans and some resources for advocacy about Cochrane and evidence-based health care.

Break (12h15 - 12h30 [WAT])
Workshops (12h30 - 15h00 [WAT])
Evidence-based healthcare and systematic reviews
Workshop 1: Rapid reviews
Facilitator: Tamara Kredo
This webinar is open to all interested in conducting or using rapid reviews for their policy and practice decisions. The webinar aims to share information about the emergence of rapid reviews as a review type and compare them with other knowledge synthesis products. For more information click here
Workshop 2: Diagnostic test accuracy reviews
Facilitator: Eleanor Ochodo
This is an introductory workshop focusing on principles of DTA reviews including the required reporting guidelines and required steps in critical appraisal. It targets those interested in conducting DTA reviews or using DTA reviews to make decisions about the use of tests. For more information click here
Break (15h00 - 15h15 [WAT])
Abstract poster presentations (15h15 - 16h15 [WAT])
Chair: Emmanuel Effa