Adverse effects of public health interventions: a conceptual framework

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Public health interventions can yield unintended adverse effects.
• Current evaluation methods often lack comprehensive guidance on assessing these harms.
• A systematic approach to identifying and evaluating potential negative impacts is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a framework for categorizing and understanding the potential harms of public health interventions.
• To guide evaluators in considering a broader spectrum of adverse effects.
• To emphasize the importance of a comprehensive perspective in intervention assessment.

Main Methods:

• Discussion paper outlining a conceptual framework.
• Categorization of potential harms into five key areas: direct, psychological, equity, group/social, and opportunity harms.
• Synthesis of existing literature and ethical considerations.

Main Results:

• Identified five distinct categories of potential harms from public health interventions.
• Highlighted the need to move beyond direct harms to include psychological, equity, group/social, and opportunity harms.
• Proposed a structured approach for considering these diverse adverse effects.

Conclusions:

• The evaluation of public health interventions must incorporate a broad assessment of potential adverse effects.
• Implementers and evaluators should adopt a comprehensive perspective to anticipate and address diverse harms.
• A structured framework aids in systematically identifying and mitigating potential negative consequences.