Fast lane for decision making: The PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum

Abstract Issue & Problem The COVID-19 pandemic demanded swift, yet structured exchange of knowledge, data and good practices between experts and institutions supporting national governments in decision making for crisis response. Thus, in March 2020 population health experts from several European countries started to meet online, complementing the more formal EU Health Security Committee meetings. The European Commission understood the high need of Member States for evidence-based, and structured cross-country exchange and supported it as part of the Population Health Research Infrastructure (www.PHIRI.eu) project. Since then, the PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum (REF) is a knowledge-sharing platform that brings together public health researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders to share information, experiences, and best practices in public health implementation research even if the EU co-funded PHIRI project has ended. The forum aims to promote collaboration and networking, facilitate the dissemination of research findings, and accelerate the translation of evidence into policy and practice. Lessons Through the PHIRI REF, participants can engage in interactive discussions, workshops, and presentations on various public health topics, including infectious diseases, digitalisation, health emergency simulations, health systems strengthening, and community health interventions. The platform is designed to be user-friendly and accessible to all, with a particular focus on European countries. By May 2024, the REF-Secretariat at the Austrian National Public Health Institute GÖG had organised 60 REF meetings, with in average 20 attendees from 12-15 countries. The monthly 1-hour online meetings cover in a moderated, structured format pre-agreed topics that are proposed by the participating countries. All findings and topics are documented and publicly available at the EU Health Information Portal (https://www.healthinformationportal.eu/rapid-exchange-forum). Key messages • The success of the Rapid Exchange Forum highlights the importance of collaboration and information exchange between population health experts in addressing global health challenges. • Having a pre-established information exchange network on urgent public health issues is of utmost importance as it enables rapid and trustworthy communication among relevant stakeholders.