German group urges advisers to show their working and disagree openly
Scientific policy advice should be free from political influence and transparent about its methods, according to the German Network for Evidence-Based Medicine.
In a summary of lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, published on 18 September, the network says that controversial scientific positions and uncertainties must be communicated openly.
“‘Science says’ is not an appropriate justification for political action,” the paper says, as “there is no such thing as ‘science’. Rather, there are many scientific disciplines with respective subject areas. Above all, there is good and bad science. Scientific findings are often contradictory and provisional.”
Results from scientific studies and scientific policy advice can only provide evidence to inform decision-making; politicians must weigh up other considerations such as social and legal requirements, it emphasises.
During the pandemic, politicians sometimes attempted to negate scientific findings or use them inappropriately, according to the network.
Federal research organisations such as the Robert Koch Institute are “bound” by political instructions and as such it is “hardly possible for them to conduct science and communicate science independently”, the network says, adding that it has repeatedly called for such independence.
Scientific policy advice must be clearly separated from political decisions, the paper says, as “mixing science and politics leads to the discrediting of science”.
Permit dissent and publish methods
Open disagreement must be possible among scientists providing policy advice and can have positive effects, according to the network.
For example, such disagreement makes it harder for policymakers to blur the line between scientific judgment and political decisions and thereby attempt to position scientists as responsible for decisions that are unpopular.
“The frequently heard demand for a standardised scientific voice contradicts scientific understanding,” the paper says. “The network expects the initiators of scientific policy advisory bodies to take into account the lessons learned from the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic and to be prepared to translate these into a contemporary, transparent, methodologically guided procedure that is not merely aimed at consensus.”
Scientific expert groups should represent the spectrum of the affected social groups, the network says, complaining that in the Covid pandemic, scientific policy advice was sourced from a narrowly defined spectrum, missing important voices such as those from nursing science.
In addition, scientific advice on healthcare issues must be evidence-based, for example with advice on several potential courses of action presenting their probabilities of success, possible impacts and costs. Options for non-intervention should also be included.
“Recommendations from scientific policy advice are still being all too often based on the ‘good old boys sit around the table’ method,” the paper says, meaning that they are presented without explanation of how they were decided. A methodological approach must therefore be agreed at the beginning of the work and must be made public, the network says.
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