Problems with evidence assessment in COVID-19 health policy impact evaluation: a systematic review of study design and evidence strength.
Noah A HaberEmma Clarke-DeelderAvi FellerEmily R SmithJoshua A SalomonBenjamin MacCormack-GellesElizabeth M StoneClara Bolster-FoucaultJamie R DawLaura Anne HatfieldCarrie E FryChristopher B BoyerEli Ben-MichaelCaroline M JoyceBeth S LinasIan SchmidEric H AuSarah E WietenBrooke A JarrettCathrine AxforsVan Thu NguyenBeth Ann GriffinAlyssa BilinskiElizabeth A StuartPublished in: BMJ open (2022)
The reviewed literature directly evaluating the impact of COVID-19 policies largely failed to meet key design criteria for inference of sufficient rigour to be actionable by policy-makers. More reliable evidence review is needed to both identify and produce policy-actionable evidence, alongside the recognition that actionable evidence is often unlikely to be feasible.