As the second major earthquake struck Nepal less than three weeks after
more than 8,000 people died in a devastating quake, UK-based Evidence
Aid joins the world’s renewed response. It’s helping health workers
decide what to do, and what to avoid. Helping to make humanitarian
action as effective as possible.
Evidence Aid is an international initiative set up to provide the best
evidence on the effects of interventions before, during and after
disasters. Today, Evidence Aid is providing much needed knowledge
support to health workers in Nepal. It’s working with key partners in
the region, UK agencies such as Public Health England, and international
organisations such as the United Nations and World Health Organisation,
to provide evidence-based resources to help focus relief efforts.
Evidence Aid provides free access to reliable, independent summaries of
the effects of different interventions, actions and strategies. Many of
these come from Cochrane, the foremost source of robust research
evidence for health care around the world. Evidence Aid was founded by
Cochrane’s former global chair, Professor Mike Clarke, the day after the
Indian Ocean tsunami on Boxing Day 2004.
All the information is on the Evidence Aid website. It covers injuries,
mental health and water-borne diseases; as well other health topics
relevant to the recovery of the tens of thousands of people affected by
the earthquakes. Whether someone’s got a computer or a smartphone, they
can get the knowledge. Amidst concerns about mental health, it shows
that a type of psychological counselling known as brief de-briefing is
probably useless, if not harmful, for preventing post-traumatic stress
disorder, or PTSD.
Professor Mike Clarke, based in Queen’s University Belfast, said “The
people of Nepal need to receive effective aid, based on robust evidence.
We’re making this information available free to all, helping people make
the best possible decisions and choices amidst the chaos and the
devastation.”
Professor Virginia Murray, of Public Health England, and a member of
Evidence Aid’s Advisory Board, said “Some of us are fortunate to have
ready access to the research evidence that might help when responding to
disasters. Evidence Aid is making it much easier for everyone to have
this access, for free; enabling them to use up-to-date and reliable
evidence in their decision making."
Since the first earthquake, Evidence Aid has been in contact with
members of Cochrane based in Nepal and, through them, frontline health
workers in the country. It has also been getting the evidence to the
response teams who have travelled to the region.
Claire Allen, Knowledge Manager for Evidence Aid in Oxford, said "We
have been in contact with colleagues in the region since the first
quake. We know that the resources are being shared and helping people
might decisions during these terrible times."
For media inquiries please contact Michelle Cassidy, Queen’s
Communications Office on +4428 9097 5310 or email comms.officer@qub.ac.uk
Or contact Professor Mike Clarke, Centre for Public Health, Queen’s
University Belfast email: m.clarke@qub.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About Evidence Aid
Evidence Aid is an international initiative to improve access to the
findings of high quality research and to place it in the disaster
context. It takes systematic reviews that may have come from
well-resourced settings and helps to deliver knowledge on what to do in
situations that are far from that, such as after a disaster. It tries to
transfer knowledge that might have come from studies in emergency rooms
in the US, where there might be hours to deal with a casualty, to
situations where dozens of people with broken limbs and other injuries
are queuing outside in the open. Evidence Aid was founded after the
Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004 and works with partners across the
humanitarian and evidence sectors, including the WHO, Save The Children
and Medicines Sans Frontieres, highlighting relevant reviews, providing
context specific summaries and compiling bundles of information
resources for disasters and other emergencies, such as the Nepal
earthquake. Its small team is spread across the world, but there is a
focal point in Queen’s University Belfast, where some of the reviews are
being prepared. Find out more at www.EvidenceAid.org
and on twitter @EvidenceAid
About Cochrane
Cochrane is a global independent network of researchers, professionals,
patients, carers and people interested in health. Cochrane produces
reviews which study all of the best available evidence generated through
research and make it easier to inform decisions about health. These are
called systematic reviews. Cochrane is a not-for profit organisation
with collaborators from more than 120 countries working together to
produce credible, accessible health information that is free from
commercial sponsorship and other conflicts of interest. Our work is
recognised as representing an international gold standard for high
quality, trusted information. Find out more at cochrane.org, Follow
us on twitter @cochranecollab
Contact the publicist:
Michelle Cassidy
Queen’s Communications Office
comms.officer@qub.ac.uk
+4428 9097 5310