Online meeting of The NUS-Lancet PRIME Commission, 8th August 2024
The NUS-Lancet PRIME Commission held two virtual meetings on August 8, 2024, bringing together Commissioners from Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. The meetings reviewed progress since the previous Commission meeting and discussed the development of a new set of indicators for pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and resilience (PPPR), with a focus on approaches that extend beyond the health sector and reflect community-level perspectives.
Prof. Helena Legido-Quigley presented updates on the Commission’s vision, mission and principles, as well as the overall study design. The work is structured around four phases: development, validation, implementation and evaluation of the indicators. Preliminary findings from expert interviews and case studies in England and Uruguay highlighted gaps and challenges in existing indicators, while emphasising the importance of context, capacity building, attention to detail and meaningful engagement with marginalised communities.
Commissioners discussed key methodological and strategic issues, including how to standardise case studies across countries, identify vulnerable groups, and develop indicators that are context-specific, empathetic and community-informed. The Commission also emphasised collaboration with organisations such as WHO, the International Association of Public Health Institutes and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to ensure that the proposed indicators complement existing frameworks. A Scientific team will finalise the study protocol, while Technical Working Groups will be reorganised to better align with the Commission’s priorities.
The meetings also outlined the Commission’s communication strategy, including plans for a dedicated website and potential publication in The Lancet to introduce its novel concepts. Looking ahead, the Commission will seek further input from Commissioners on engaging communities and governments and will convene a scientific workshop in October 2024 to advance discussions on indicator development. The Commission’s work aims to strengthen pandemic preparedness by ensuring that future measurement frameworks are practical, inclusive and responsive to the experiences of communities and countries.