Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24999853›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of occupational and environmental health

Development of a guide to applying precaution in local public health.

Monica Hau, Donald Cole, Loren Vanderlinden, Ronald MacFarlane, Carol Mee, Josephine Archbold, Monica Campbell

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of occupational and environmental health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Monica Hau
Donald Cole
Loren Vanderlinden
Ronald MacFarlane
Carol Mee
Josephine Archbold
Monica Campbell

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe precautionary principle (PP) urges actions to prevent harm even in the face of scientific uncertainty. Members of Toronto Public Health (TPH) sought guidance on applying precaution.

methodsWe searched five bibliographic databases (yield 60 articles from 1996 to 2009 and 8 from 2009 to 2011) and Google (yield 11 gray literature sources) for material relevant to local public health. From these sources, we extracted questions until saturation was reached (n =55). We applied these questions retrospectively to eight case studies where TPH felt precaution was applied. We ranked questions for their importance in applying precaution.

resultsOur final guide included 35 questions in five domains: context, assessment, alternative interventions, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Importance rankings varied across cases, but the role of stakeholders in driving precautionary action was consistent. Monitoring and evaluation components could have been strengthened across cases.

conclusionThe TPH guide can assist municipal environmental health practitioners in applying precaution in a more transparent manner.

Indexed as

Guidelines as TopicLocal GovernmentCanadaEnvironmental ExposureEnvironmental MonitoringHumansPublic Health PracticeDecision support systems,Environmental impacts,Environmental policy,Local government,Precautionary principle,Risk management

Identifiers

PMID24999853
PMCPMC4090874

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.