Table 2 Summary of desk review methods used in four case examples
When Determining the timeline | Where Defining the target population and context | What Defining the question and scope | Why Defining the rationale and purpose | Who Selection of the research team | How Selection of data collection and synthesis methods | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Haiti (2010) | 3 weeks | Persons living in Haiti affected by the earthquake | Haitian mental health and services | To inform immediate and long-term efforts to improve mental health services in post-earthquake Haiti | 19 experts and student volunteers | Rapid review of academic databases to retrieve peer-reviewed and non-academic literature; Hand search of key resources |
Nepal (2015) | 8 weeks | Persons living in Nepal affected by the earthquake | Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in Nepal | To serve as a resource for humanitarian actors responding to the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal | 98 experts and volunteers | Rapid review of academic literature, agency websites and expert recommended resources; WHO/UNHCR MHPSS Toolkit Desk Review methods and structure; “Crowd writing” |
Syria (2015) | 96 weeks | Persons residing within Syria and Syrian refugees affected by armed conflict | Cultural aspects of mental health and psychosocial wellbeing | To serve as a resource for MHPSS staff working with conflict-affected Syrians to assist in design and delivery of interventions | 68 experts | Review of academic and non-academic literature and reports; Hand search of key resources |
Tanzania (2016) | 52 weeks | Adult female refugees from Eastern DRC with a history of SGBV affected by armed conflict | Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in the context of SGBV in Congolese populations | To inform the development of a mental health and psychosocial intervention and the protocol for a randomized trial for Congolese survivors of SGBV in Nyarugusu refugee camp, Tanzania | 5 researchers/study investigators and staff | Review of academic literature and agency websites; Iterative drafting and revision process among investigators |