Effectiveness of measures to reduce respiratory virus transmission in congregated settings
What the evidence suggests for nursing homes and similar settings, with certainty and limitations stated.
Read summaryFast, trusted evidence for Ireland's health security
We make the best available health evidence easier to find, understand and use, so those protecting Ireland's health can act on it.
What is health security?
Health security means being ready to prevent, detect and respond to threats that can harm health at population level. COVID-19 showed how much that readiness matters, and the threats keep evolving, from new infectious diseases to antimicrobial resistance and the health effects of a changing climate, such as heatwaves.
Readiness depends on good decisions, and good decisions need good evidence. That is where the Evidence Hub comes in.
Evidence you can use
Evidence is only useful if people can understand and act on it, so clear communication is built into everything the Hub produces.
- Every output comes with a plain-language summary for the public.
- We are clear about how certain the evidence is.
- We say what the evidence does not yet answer.
What we do
We make evidence easier to find, judge and use for the questions that matter most in preparedness, response and recovery.
- We help sharpen the evidence questions raised by policy and public health partners.
- We produce rapid reviews, evidence briefs and living evidence summaries.
- We work with national and international partners to avoid duplication and share learning.
- We explain what the evidence says, how certain it is, and what it does not yet answer.
- We build capacity through training, simulations and shared methods.
Why the Evidence Hub is needed
Health security spans many fast-moving fields, and the research arrives faster than anyone can read it, scattered across sources and uneven in quality.
When a health threat demands a fast answer, whether a pandemic, an antimicrobial-resistant infection or a chemical or environmental hazard, research appears quickly from many countries and teams. It is scattered, sometimes conflicting, and varies in quality, and no single decision-maker can find, read and weigh it all while a decision is waiting.
That is the job of evidence synthesis, which simply means bringing all the relevant research on a question together and weighing it as a whole. The Evidence Hub finds the research, judges how reliable it is, and distils it into one clear, plain-language summary, so decisions rest on the whole body of evidence rather than a single study or a rushed search. It draws together Ireland's evidence synthesis expertise across universities, public bodies and specialist teams, in calm periods as much as in a crisis, including looking ahead for emerging threats.
Bringing evidence together this way supports evidence-informed decision-making (opens in a new tab), where the best available evidence is weighed alongside context, equity, feasibility and acceptability.
How it works
The Evidence Hub uses a hub-and-spoke model. A core team coordinates the work, supports methods and quality assurance, carries out some reviews itself, and connects with partner teams that bring specialist expertise.
The Department of Health leads Ireland's health security policy and decides which evidence questions matter most. Questions are commissioned through the Department, so the Hub's effort goes where it is most needed. This model lets Ireland stay prepared in quieter periods and scale up quickly when a health emergency arises.
The Evidence Hub coordinates a flexible network of organisations. Who contributes depends on the question, and the network grows over time.
Prepare, respond, share, learn
One coordinated system that works before, during and after a health emergency.
Prepare
We build systems, methods and partnerships before they are needed.
Respond
We activate the right expertise when urgent evidence questions arise.
Share
We provide clear evidence summaries for decision-makers and the public.
Learn
We review what worked and improve the system over time.
Public and patient involvement
Public and patient representatives sit on the group that oversees the Hub's work, helping to shape priorities, plain-language outputs and how findings are communicated. Their voice matters most when evidence touches public trust, access, equity or vulnerable groups. More on how the Hub is governed is on the Governance page.
Example evidence outputs
A preview of the format outputs will use.
Diagnostic tests for an emerging infectious disease
A living summary that is checked and updated as important new research becomes available.
Read summaryPublic health measures and equity: who is affected and how
A decision-focused brief on implementation, acceptability and effects on different groups.
Read summaryExplore the evidence library
Browse the Hub's evidence outputs, each with a plain-language summary, how certain the evidence is, and what it does not yet answer.
View the evidence library