What works to increase the use of research in population health policy and programmes: a review

Abstract

Policy agencies are implementing strategies to increase the use of research in policy decisions. This paper examines the evidence about the effectiveness of these strategies. We conducted an extensive search focused on population health policy and programmes. We classified 106 papers meeting study criteria into research type (conceptual, descriptive and intervention). We examined the descriptive studies to identify commonly nominated potential intervention strategies. We examined the intervention studies to evaluate the impact of the tested strategies in increasing the use of research in policy decisions. There is little evidence about which strategies increase the use of evidence in population health policy and programmes.

Developing a strategy to promote the generation and effective use of population health research for NSW Health: 2011 - 2015

“…1,2 A number of models have been developed; these processes are complex and evaluations of strategies to increase the use of evidence in policies and programs are rare. 3,4 NSW Health invests in population health research through both the Population Health Division of the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Health and local population health services. The Population Health Division has recently developed a strategy which outlines how it will facilitate the conduct of high-quality, relevant, population health research and the use of research evidence in policy and practice in NSW Health.…”

Increasing the influence of one’s research on policy

“…22 Furthermore, case studies have demonstrated that meaningful decision-maker involvement in research varies in nature and degree. 23 Notwithstanding these critiques, supporters of the interactional approach to knowledge exchange believe that research users gain access to good-quality, relevant information, whereas the research producers improve their understanding of the users' priorities and the constraints under which they operate.…”

“…10,17 Establishing just how much influence research has on policy is a difficult empirical question that few have even attempted to answer. 22 Similarly, assessing the success of knowledge brokerage is difficult because of the poor concordance between theoretical models and brokerage in practice. 17 If we hope to improve knowledge exchange at the research-policy interface, we need clearly conceptualised goals, a strong theoretical base, 17 sound performance measures 13 and adequate data.…”

Building a strategic approach to improve Aboriginal health research and evaluation in NSW

“…1 More effective mechanisms are needed for generating policy-relevant research evidence, and for translating it into policy and practice. 2,3 In Aboriginal health, the limited evidencebase for informing policy and practice is likely to contribute to the ongoing health disparity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. 4,5 The evaluation and monitoring of programs and services that are delivered to Aboriginal peoples are important for developing evidence that can inform future policy and practice.…”

“…8 The activities to be undertaken are based on evidence of what is most likely to be effective: improving access to evidence from research; greater interaction between researchers and policy agencies; and improving organisational capacity for using research including policies, culture and skills. 3 Knowledge translation meetings with leading researchers in Aboriginal health have been held to facilitate greater interaction between researchers and policy-makers. The meetings focused on evidence relevant to specific Aboriginal health programs.…”