Manuel Douglas G, Bennett Carol, Brown Emma, Buckeridge David L, Freedhoff Yoni, Funnell Sarah, Ishtiaq Farah, Wade Matthew J, Moher David
Methodological and Implementation Research Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
PLoS One. 2025 May 27;20(5):e0310342. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310342. eCollection 2025.
Public health environmental surveillance has evolved, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, with wastewater-based surveillance being a prominent example. As surveillance methods expand, it is important to have a robust evaluation of surveillance systems. This consensus study will develop an evaluation framework for public health environmental surveillance, informed by the expanding practice of wastewater-based surveillance during the pandemic.
The public health environmental surveillance evaluation framework will be developed in five steps. In Step 1, a multinational and multidisciplinary executive group will be formed to guide the framework development process. In Step 2, candidate items will be generated by conducting relevant scoping reviews and consultation with the study executive group. In Step 3, an international electronic Delphi will be conducted over two rounds to develop consensus on items for the framework. In Step 4, the executive group will reconvene to finalize the evaluation framework, discuss standout items, and determine the dissemination strategies. Lastly, Step 5 will focus on disseminating the evaluation framework to all parties involved with or affected by wastewater-based surveillance using traditional and public-oriented methods.
The Delphi consensus study will provide multidisciplinary and multinational consensus for the evaluation framework, by providing a set of minimum criteria required for the evaluation of public health environmental surveillance systems. The evaluation framework is intended to support the sustainability of environmental surveillance and improve its implementation, reliability, credibility, and value.
公共卫生环境监测已经发展，尤其是在新冠疫情期间，以污水为基础的监测就是一个突出例子。随着监测方法的扩展，对监测系统进行有力评估很重要。这项共识研究将制定一个公共卫生环境监测评估框架，该框架受疫情期间以污水为基础的监测实践不断扩展的启发。
公共卫生环境监测评估框架将分五步制定。第一步，将组建一个跨国多学科执行小组来指导框架制定过程。第二步，通过开展相关范围界定审查并与研究执行小组协商来生成候选项目。第三步，将进行两轮国际电子德尔菲法，就框架项目达成共识。第四步，执行小组将再次召开会议敲定评估框架，讨论突出项目，并确定传播策略。最后，第五步将聚焦于使用传统方法和面向公众的方法，将评估框架传播给所有参与基于污水的监测或受其影响的各方。
德尔菲共识研究将通过提供一套评估公共卫生环境监测系统所需的最低标准，为评估框架提供多学科和跨国的共识。该评估框架旨在支持环境监测的可持续性，并改善其实施、可靠性、可信度和价值。
