A new CLAHRC publication offers valuable insight into the types of evidence used by decision-makers working in public health. In 2013, responsibility for public health services and planning shifted from the “health” boundary to local authority control. These services can range from health checks to open access sexual health.
CLAHRC researchers examined English local public health decision-making in a new review of what evidence is used and how by those planning, designing and commissioning services.
The review, published in a new paper in the Journal Implementation Science identifies three clear trends in evidence use
- the primacy of local evidence
- the important role of local experts in providing evidence and knowledge, and
- the high value placed on local evaluation evidence despite the varying methodological rigour.
Barriers to the use of research evidence included issues around access and availability of applicable research evidence, and indications that the use of evidence could be perceived as a bureaucratic process.
This is part of a wider project entitled Exploring decision-making processes and knowledge requirements in public health
Read the full paper
Kneale et al. Implementation Science (2017) 12:53
DOI 10.1186/s13012-017-0577-9
The use of evidence in English local public health decision-making: a systematic scoping review
