New Article: Evidence-Informed Policy and Practice

Posted by on October 21, 2005

[posted from Community Based Participatory Research]

Pathways to “Evidence-Informed” Policy and Practice – A Framework for Action
Bowen S, Zwi AB (2005) Pathways to “Evidence-Informed” Policy and Practice: A Framework for Action. PLoS Med 2(7): e166
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020166

The contemporary public health effort sees much debate about the concepts of evidence; and the evidence base, and the usefulness and relevance of such terms to both policymaking and practice. A key challenge to public health is to better contextualize evidence for more effective policymaking and practice. Theory on the translation of research findings into policy and practice, and on knowledge utilization, offers only part of the solution to this complex task. The policymaking context is highly political and rapidly changing, and depends on a variety of factors, inputs, and relationships.

In this article, [the authors] propose that an “evidence-informed policy and practice pathway” can help both researchers and policy actors navigate the use of evidence. The pathway illustrates different types of evidence and their uses in health policymaking, and proposes that specific capacities, such as an individual’s skills, experience, and participation in networks, influence the adoption and adaptation of evidence in practice.