Natural Therapies Review process and governance infographic

The Natural Therapies Review involves:

• establishment and operation of two committees, the Natural Therapy Review Expert Advisory Panel (NTREAP) and the Natural Therapies Working Committee (NTWC); and

• two substantive processes for each therapy under review, development of the research protocol and development of the evidence evaluation.

NTREAP establishment/operation involves:

• Department of Health secretariat drafting the Terms of Reference and expertise requirements with the Chair of NTREAP and publishing a consultation seeking feedback on them;
• Chair determining the Terms of Reference and membership;
• Secretariat publishing the Terms of Reference and membership, formally establishing NTREAP and continuing to provide meeting secretariat and applying governance processes (including for conflicts of interest);
• NTREAP meeting as required and assessing and providing feedback on the draft research protocols and evidence evaluations; and
• Secretariat publishing meeting outcomes and other web resources and holding stakeholder updates after each meeting.

NTWC establishment/operation involves:

• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) secretariat determining the Terms of Reference and membership, formally establishing the NTWC, continuing to provide meeting secretariat and applying governance processes (including for disclosures of interest);
• NTWC establishing working groups, meeting as required and endorsing final research protocols and final evidence evaluations;
• NTWC working groups meeting as required and providing input on draft research protocols and evidence evaluations and providing advice to NTWC for endorsement; and
• NHMRC secretariat publishing NTWC Term of Reference, membership and interests, final research protocols and other resources and providing final evidence evaluations to NHMRC Council.

Development of research protocols involves:

• Department of Health secretariat engaging NHMRC to conduct evidence evaluations, managing deliverables receipt/payments and NTREAP input;
• NHMRC secretariat managing procurement and contracts of independent evidence reviewers and methodological reviewers (consistent with Commonwealth Procurement Rules), obtaining and managing reviewers’ disclosures of interest, applying NHMRC and internationally accepted standards for reviews and facilitating population and outcome prioritisation by NTWC/NTREAP;
• Evidence reviewers developing draft research protocols in accordance with Cochrane Standards and submitting to NTWC;
• NTWC working groups reviewing and providing feedback on draft research protocols, considering NTREAP, methodological input and additional expertise (if required) and NTWC endorsing the protocols; and
• Reviewers publishing the final research protocols on PROSPERO.

Development of evidence evaluations involves:

• Evidence reviewers conducting initial evidence scans, identifying volume of citations and populations/conditions;
• NTWC working groups undertaking populations/conditions prioritisation (if required), considering survey or other data and NTREAP input and the full NTWC endorsing the populations;
• Evidence reviewers preparing outcomes prioritisation spreadsheets
• NTWC working groups undertaking outcomes prioritisation (if required), considering additional expertise (if required) and NTWC endorsing prioritised outcomes measures;
• Evidence reviewers implementing research protocols (including for evidence submitted by external stakeholders through the two public calls for evidence), drafting evidence evaluations targeting analysis of prioritised outcomes for prioritised populations/conditions, applying Cochrane Standards and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) and submitting draft evidence evaluations to NTWC;
• NTWC working groups reviewing and providing feedback on draft evidence evaluations, considering NTREAP and methodological input and NTWC endorsing the evidence evaluations;
• NHMRC secretariat submitting the final evidence evaluations to the Chair of NTREAP; and
• Final evidence evaluations being published.

Public consultation and transparency points include:

• Public consultation on:
  • NTREAP Terms of Reference;
  • Tranche 1 call for evidence; and
  • Tranche 2 call for evidence;
• Stakeholder update teleconferences – post NTREAP meetings and as required;
• Publication of:
  • NTREAP Terms of Reference, membership and meeting outcomes;
  • NTWC Terms of Reference and membership
  • Final research protocols; and
  • Final evidence evaluations.