The Roles and Responsibilities of Community-Based Organizations in Responding to Public Health Emergencies: A Systematic Review

Alongside the re-emergence of public health emergencies, increasing displaced population in the world contributes to worsening the situation. We reviewed the partnerships of community-based organizations (CBOs) with health systems to identify the roles and responsibilities of CBOs in public health emergencies. The research team searched articles in Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Wiley, Google Scholar, World Health Organization (WHO), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) websites. Two independent reviewers decided to include articles if they addressed the role of CBOs in the happened public health emergencies. STROBE and Case Study checklists were used to examine the quality of the studies. After reaching 542 articles, 34 of them met the eligibility criteria. Articles mostly focused on high-income countries and the epidemics as disasters. Primary health care, logistic services, and communication were the most participatory services. However, just 14% of articles in childcare and 3% in elderly care services showed a partnership with the health system. Also, the emergence of influenza pandemics in the years after 2010 was a starting point for increased participation of the CBOs in public health emergencies. Health authorities should lead the CBOs’ participation to provide childcare and elderly services in public health emergencies. Moreover, low-income countries should promote the responsibility of protecting communities by considering the supportive role of CBOs in public health emergencies based on all potential capabilities.