Health systems’ adaptations to climate change: an umbrella review of global evidence protocol

Introduction Health systems’ (HS) adaptations to climate change (CC) cover two major, and interrelated dimensions: (1) Environmental sustainability—actions aimed at limiting the negative impact of HS on the environment (eg, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and (2) Climate resilience—adaptations focused on improving HS’ ability to cope with the impact of CC (eg, by improving HS preparedness to climate-induced natural disasters). Within both dimensions, a diversity of actions, at different HS levels, can take place. The general objective is to provide health policy makers with a comprehensive evidence-based set of recommendations on the scope and effectiveness of HS adaptations to CC.

Methods and analysis An umbrella review will be conducted. Systematic reviews will be included if: (1) They focus on HS adaptations to CC (including both environmental sustainability and climate resilience strategies/actions), (2) Were published since 2015 and (3) Report a quality appraisal of included studies. Five databases were searched: (1) MEDLINE via PubMed, (2) Scopus, (3) Web of science core collection, (4) ProQuest Central and (5) The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Two reviewers will independently assess studies’ eligibility, conduct quality appraisal and perform data extraction. Data will be synthesised using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses will guide the reporting of results.

Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required, as this study involves the collection and analysis of secondary data only. The results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated via dedicated research channels and social media platforms