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Health policy
Protocol
Policies to prevent zoonotic spillover: protocol for a systematic scoping review of evaluative evidence
  1. Chloe Clifford Astbury1,2,
  2. Kirsten M Lee1,2,
  3. Raphael Aguiar2,
  4. Asma Atique1,
  5. Marilen Balolong3,
  6. Janielle Clarke1,
  7. Ronald Labonte4,
  8. Arne Ruckert4,
  9. Kathleen Chelsea Togño3,
  10. A M Viens1,
  11. M Wiktorowicz1,2,
  12. Amy Yau5,
  13. Tarra L Penney1,2
  1. 1School of Global Health, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  2. 2Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  3. 3University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines
  4. 4University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  5. 5London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Tarra L Penney; tpenney{at}yorku.ca

Abstract

Introduction The increasing incidence of pathogen transmission from animals to humans (zoonotic spillover events) has been attributed to behavioural practices and ecological and socioeconomic change. As these events sometimes involve pathogens with epidemic or pandemic potential, they pose a serious threat to population health. Public policies may play a key role in preventing these events. The aim of this review is to identify evaluations of public policies that target the determinants of zoonotic spillover, examining approaches taken to evaluation, choice of outcomes measures and evidence of effectiveness. Our approach to identifying and analysing this literature will be informed by a One Health lens, acknowledging the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.

Methods and analysis A systematic scoping review methodology will be used. To identify articles, we will search Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Global Health in May 2021 using search terms combining animal health and the animal–human interface, public policy, prevention and zoonoses. We will screen titles and abstracts and extract data according to published guidelines for scoping reviews. All evaluations of public policies aiming to prevent zoonotic spillover events will be eligible for inclusion. We will summarise key data from each study, mapping policies along the spillover pathway and outlining the range of policies, approaches to evaluation and outcome measures. Review findings will provide a useful reference for researchers and practitioners, outlining the state of the evaluative evidence around policies to prevent zoonotic spillover.

Ethics and dissemination Formal ethical approval is not required, because the study does not involve primary data collection. The findings of this study will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication, presentations and summaries for key stakeholders.

  • Public health
  • Health policy
  • PUBLIC HEALTH
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-058437

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      This web only file has been produced by the BMJ Publishing Group from an electronic file supplied by the author(s) and has not been edited for content.

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @chloecastbury, @LabonteRonald, @TarraPenney

    • Contributors CCA, KML and TLP conceived and designed the study. CCA prepared the manuscript. KML, TLP, RA, AA, MB, JC, RL, AR, KCT, AMV, MW and AY provided critical input on the manuscript and methods and have read and approved the final manuscript.

    • Funding CCA, JC and TLP acknowledge internal research support from York University. This review will be undertaken as part of a project funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Grant Reference Number VR5-172686. The funder had no role in developing the protocol.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting or dissemination plans of this research.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.