External Expert Review of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care: Meetings

Land acknowledgement, introduction and declaration of interests

For information and decision

The Chair of the EER welcomed participants to the meeting, presented and received consent on the meeting's agenda and invited any new declarations of interest from members.

Decision: No new conflicts of interest were declared, and the agenda was approved without changes.

Optimising guideline development and dissemination

For information

Members of the EER received a presentation from Dr. Sharon Strauss, Executive Vice-President, Clinical, and Chief Medical Officer, Unity Health Toronto, Ontario (Canada). The presenter shared various ideas for improving the process of developing guidelines so that they are inclusive and reflect the diversity of the Canadian population.

Comparative perspectives on strengths, challenges and opportunities related to the guideline development process

For information

Members of the EER members received presentations from experts national and international:

• Dr. Alfonso Iorio, Professor, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Canada
• Dr. Gillian Leng, Chief Executive, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), England
• Dr. Julian Elliot, Chair, Australian Living Evidence Consortium (Cochrane Australia) - Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Australia
• Dr. Lisa Askie, Scientist and Methods Lead, Quality Norms and Standards Dept., Science Division, World Health Organization, Switzerland
• Dr. Per Olav Vandvik, Co-founder and CEO, MAGIC Evidence Ecosystem Foundation, Norway
• Ms. Lena Salach, CEO, Centre for Effective Practice, University of Toronto, Canada
• Dr. Doris Grinspun, CEO, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, Canada
• Dr. Robert Reid, Co-lead, Rapid Improvement and Support Exchange (RISE) (Trillium Health Partners' Institute for Better Health), Canada

The presenters shared information on various guideline development models while highlighting best practices, strengths and challenges.

Lines of inquiry: guideline development and dissemination

For information and discussion

EER Members discussed national and international best practices in guideline development and dissemination, and discussed key considerations linked to implementation in the Canadian context.

Secretariat update

For information

The Secretariat delivered administrative information.

Secretariat actions: The Secretariat will follow up with members to confirm their availability for upcoming meetings of the EER in 2025; including an in-person meeting.

Closing statement and next steps

For discussion

The Chair of the EER summarized the discussions and shared information on next steps.

Welcome and introduction, land acknowledgement, and declaration of interests

For information and decision

The EER Chair welcomed participants to the meeting and invited any new declarations of interest from members. The meeting agenda was reviewed.

Decision: No new conflicts of interest were declared, and the agenda was approved without changes.

Ethical considerations in guideline development

For information and discussion

Members of the EER received 2 presentations from experts:

• Dr. Ross Upshur, Head, Division of Clinical Public Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Associate Director, Collaborative Center for Climate Health
• Dr. Elie Akl, Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University

The presenters provided an overview of ethical aspects of public health decision-making in practice, and key principles and best practices for the management of conflicts of interest.

Following the presentation, meeting participants were invited to ask questions to the presenters.

Lines of inquiry on ethics and independence

For information and discussion

EER Members discussed the importance of values, perspectives and interests when developing guidelines; as well as considerations for the management of conflicts of interest in the Canadian context.

In-camera discussion

For discussion

As the evidence-gathering phase of the mandate draws to a close, EER members discussed next steps.

Key takeaways from the evidence gathering phase

For discussion

EER Members identified lessons learned and best practices from national and international expert presentations that could help modernize the development of preventive health care guidelines in Canada.

Secretariat update

For information

The Secretariat delivered administrative information.

Secretariat actions: The Secretariat will ensure that all written submissions received as part of the EER open consultation to help modernize the development of preventive health care guidelines in Canada are summarized and shared.

Closing statements and next steps

For information and discussion

The Chair of the EER summarized the discussions and shared information on the next steps.

Welcome, land acknowledgement, and declaration of interests

For information and decision

The Chair of the EER welcomed participants to the meeting, presented and received consent on the meeting's agenda and invited any new declarations of interest from members.

Decision: No new conflicts of interest were declared; the agenda was approved without changes.

What we heard: 4 Follow-up roundtables

For discussion

Members shared key insights gathered from the EER open consultation process, including discussions from 4 follow-up roundtables. Members highlighted the wide range of perspectives that were shared on the strengths and limitations of the Task Force.

Discussion on recommendations for the Task Force of the future

For discussion

Members reviewed findings from the evidence-gathering phase and discussed options for recommendations.

Secretariat update

For information

The Secretariat provided an administrative update on the upcoming EER meeting in February and outlined the process to coordinate members' input to write the initial draft report and the approval process for the final report.

Closing statement

For discussion

The Chair of the EER summarized the discussions and shared information on next steps.

Welcome land acknowledgement and introduction

For information and decision

The chair of the EER welcomed participants to the meeting and acknowledged the traditional lands on which it was held. Members were invited to declare any new conflict of interest. The meeting agenda was reviewed.

Decision: No new declarations of conflicts of interest and the agenda was approved without changes.

Designated period for technical advisors

For information and discussion

Exploring a forward-looking vision

For discussion

Word of thanks from the Public Health Agency of Canada

For information

Secretariat update

For information

Closing statement

For information and discussion

Welcome, land acknowledgement, and introduction

For information and decision

The chair of the External Expert Review (EER) welcomed participants to the meeting and delivered a land acknowledgement. Members were invited to declare any new conflict of interest. The meeting agenda was reviewed.

Decision: No new conflicts of interest were declared and the agenda was approved without changes.

Review of recommendations and comments submitted by members

For discussion

Members reviewed and discussed feedback on the draft recommendations. Key areas of input included the governance framework, organizational structure and administrative functions, as well as the scientific review process of the Task Force.

Action: Consensus-based revisions will be incorporated by the Secretariat.

Secretariat update

For information

Closing statement

For information and discussion