Background: The Covid-19 public health crisis has increased the demand for scientific evidence to inform health decisions. Evidence summaries are essential since they provide the highest level of evidence, but the time to produce them may exceed the time to inform decisions during public health crises. Rapid evidence summaries are recommended in such circumstances. A Brazilian team provided scientific evidence through a rapid response service within the Ministry of Health, to meet demands in areas such as surveillance and specialized health care. Objective: to describe the strategy adopted by the Brazilian Ministry of Health team to produce rapid evidence syntheses and support decision-making during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Results: The team was multidisciplinary, and a portfolio of rapid evidence syntheses was adopted , such as reference lists, abstract summaries and rapid systematic reviews, applying methodological shortcuts to shorten delivery time without compromising scientific rigor. The continuous relationship between the authors of the syntheses and the decision makers was important to generate trust and co-create the research demands, and to strengthen the service, aiming at acollaborative knowledge translation process. The workflow included sequential steps, from receiving the demand to delivering the dissemination product, with schedules adapted to the needs of the demanding areas; this process was conducted close to the decision makers Requests were prioritized based on the need for an urgent response, the level of decision-making, the technical capacity of the team and the availability of evidence. The strategy contributed to increase the engagement of decision makers in some stages of the work, which could facilitate the absorption of evidence in decision making. Throughout this process, 87 studies and 29 dissemination products were prepared, which assisted 20 technical areas of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Science evolved rapidly during the pandemic, and the team made frequent updates to the evidence syntheses. Conclusion: The workflow included sequential steps, from receiving the demand to delivering the dissemination product, with schedules adapted to the needs of the demanding areas. The strategy allowed the Brazilian Ministry of Health to present up-to-date scientific evidence to inform decision-making, contributing to the confrontation of the pandemic.