Answer To: Topic (Literature review) : EVIDENCE BASED PUBLIC HEALTH DECISION MAKING.Written report : 30 pages -...
Ayan answered on Apr 12 2023
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 33
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
Table of contents
Introduction 4
Literature review 5
Importance of Evidence-Based Public Health Decision Making 5
Strategies for Promoting Evidence-Based Public Health Decision Making 7
The history and evolution of evidence-based public health decision making 9
Challenges to evidence-based public health decision making 11
The role of evidence synthesis in public health decision making 12
The use of evidence-based guidelines in public health decision making 13
The role of community-based participatory research in evidence-based public health decision making 14
The role of evidence-based public health decision making in addressing emerging public health challenges 16
The impact of political and economic factors on evidence-based public health decision making 17
The ethical considerations involved in evidence-based public health decision making 19
The use of economic evaluations and cost-effectiveness analysis in evidence-based public health decision making 20
The importance of cultural competence in evidence-based public health decision making 21
The potential for bias and confounding in evidence-based public health research 22
The role of dissemination and knowledge translation in evidence-based public health decision making 23
The use of community-based interventions and participatory approaches in evidence-based public health decision making 24
The impact of globalization and international collaboration on evidence-based public health decision making 25
The use of big data and data analytics in evidence-based public health decision making 27
The potential for digital health technologies and mobile health interventions to improve evidence-based public health decision making and health outcomes 28
The future of evidence-based public health decision making 29
Conclusion 31
References 33
Introduction
Choosing, prioritizing, and implementing interventions to advance health and prevent illness in populations is known as public health decision-making. The process of identifying and assessing the efficacy of health treatments, as well as informing public health policy and practice, is known as evidence-based public health decision making. The tenets of evidence-based medicine, which emphasises the use of the best available scientific data to guide clinical decision making, serve as the foundation for this strategy. For public health policies and practises to be successful, efficient, and equitable, evidence-based decision making is crucial. Public health professionals may make sure that resources are directed to initiatives that are most likely to produce favourable health outcomes by using scientific evidence to inform decision-making. By ensuring that treatments are directed towards those who are most at risk, evidence-based decision making can also aid in the reduction of health inequalities. Implementing evidence-based public health decision-making, however, can be difficult. When attempting to find and implement effective solutions, public health authorities frequently encounter a lack of funding, political restrictions, and contradicting scientific information. In order to overcome these obstacles, it is crucial to create solutions that can advance evidence-based decision making.
The significance of making decisions on public health based on evidence will be discussed in this literature review, along with the tactics that may be employed to support it. The review will start by giving a historical overview of the origins of evidence-based public health decision making as well as the variables that have shaped it throughout history. The next section will look at some of the difficulties that public health authorities have when attempting to adopt evidence-based decision making. The review will next examine several evidence synthesis techniques, such as systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and scoping reviews, that are utilised in public health decision making. Additionally, it will look at how evidence-based recommendations are created and utilised to drive public health policies and practises. The assessment will also look at how community-based participatory research may include communities in decision-making and guarantee that treatments are acceptable from a cultural perspective and adapted to local requirements. The assessment will also look at future directions for evidence-based public health decision making, including the use of big data, AI, and precision public health strategies. This study will offer a thorough overview of the tactics that may be used to promote evidence-based decision making and the difficulties that public health professionals may run into when trying to put it into practise by looking at the literature on evidence-based public health decision making. In the end, the review will emphasise the significance of using evidence to guide decisions in order to improve health outcomes and decrease health inequalities.
Literature review
Importance of Evidence-Based Public Health Decision Making
In order to make sure that public health policies and practices are effective, efficient, and equitable, evidence-based public health decision making is essential. This method makes use of scientific data to find, rank, and put into practise initiatives that improve population health and illness prevention. Here are some of the main justifications for the significance of evidence-based public health decision making –
· Promoting Positive Health Outcomes: Making decisions about public health that are supported by evidence is crucial for fostering positive health outcomes (Oude Munnink et al., 2020). Public health professionals may make sure that resources are directed to initiatives that are most likely to produce favourable health outcomes by using scientific evidence to inform decision-making. This strategy can aid in lowering morbidity and death rates and enhancing community health and well-being in general.
· Reducing Health inequalities: By ensuring that treatments are directed towards those who are most at risk, evidence-based public health decision-making can aid in reducing health inequalities. This strategy can assist in addressing health disparities and enhancing health outcomes for vulnerable groups, including low-income people, members of racial and ethnic minorities, and those living in rural regions.
· Making the Most Effective Use of Resources: Making decisions about public health based on evidence helps maximize resource efficiency. Public health authorities may direct resources to initiatives that are both cost-effective and efficient by determining which interventions are most likely to produce favourable health outcomes. This strategy can guarantee that resources are used to have the most impact possible and reduce needless spending.
· Enhancing openness and Accountability: Making decisions about public health based on evidence improves openness and accountability. Public healths authorities may make sure that choices are made based on objective criteria and are not influenced by personal prejudices or interests by using scientific facts to inform decision-making (Raoofi et al., 2020). This strategy can aid in fostering confidence and trust in public health policies and practices.
· Encouragement of Constant Learning and Improvement Making decisions about public health based on evidence promotes lifelong learning and development. Public health professionals may make sure that interventions continue to be pertinent and successful over time by routinely evaluating and revising public health policies and practises based on the best available scientific information. This strategy can assist in addressing new health concerns and adjusting to changes in the healthcare environment.
Strategies for Promoting Evidence-Based Public Health Decision Making
Promoting the use of evidence-based public health decision-making can be difficult since public health authorities frequently struggle to find and execute effective treatments due to a lack of funding, political restrictions, and inconsistent data. To encourage the use of evidence-based decision-making in public health, there are a number of different tactics that may be employed. Here are a few crucial tactics –
· Creating an office atmosphere where the use of evidence is valued and considered when making decisions is known as "developing a culture of evidence-based decision making." This may be accomplished by offering instruction and materials on making decisions using evidence, encouraging the use of evidence in decision-making, and building a culture of ongoing learning and development.
· Collaboration and collaborations between public health organizations, academic institutions, community organizations, and other stakeholders can advance the use of evidence in making decisions. These partnerships may encourage the creation of evidence-based recommendations and treatments, allow the exchange of knowledge and resources, and guarantee that programmes are culturally relevant and catered to the needs of the community.
· Making use of systematic reviews and meta-analyses: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are techniques for synthesizing the available data that may be used to determine which therapies are most beneficial and how effective they are (Tang et al., 2020). These techniques entail a meticulous and open procedure for finding, selecting, and synthesising the information that is currently accessible on a certain subject. Public health professionals may make sure that their choices are supported by the best available scientific data by employing systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
· Creating Evidence-Based Recommendations: The best available scientific data is used to support recommendations for clinical practice or public health policy. These recommendations can aid in ensuring the efficacy, efficiency, and equity of initiatives. A thorough process of examining the available data, combining it into recommendations, and communicating those suggestions to stakeholders is required to develop evidence-based guidelines.
· Participating in community-based participatory research entails including communities in all stages of the research process, from developing research questions to sharing findings. This strategy can aid in ensuring that solutions are suited to the community's requirements and are culturally appropriate. Participating in community-based participatory research can also support the development of relationships based on trust between community members and public health professionals.
· Stressing the Value of Data: Stressing the value of data entails using data to inform decision-making and gauge the efficacy of actions. Public health professionals may determine areas where interventions are required, assess the efficacy of treatments, and make evidence-based choices by gathering and analysing data on health outcomes and interventions. This strategy can support decision-making that is transparent and accountable.
Therefore, encouraging the use of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, creating evidence-based guidelines, participating in community-based participatory research, fostering collaboration and partnerships, and emphasizing the value of data are all part of promoting evidence-based public health decision making. These techniques allow public health professionals to make sure that their judgments’ are supported by the most up-to-date scientific research and that treatments are successful, efficient, and fair.
The history and evolution of evidence-based public health decision making
Making decisions about public health based on the best available evidence has a long history, with beginnings in the early 20th century. But it wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that public health began to place a high priority on evidence-based decision making. Epidemiologists who were concerned in discovering the causes of disease and creating efficient therapies were the first advocates of evidence-based public health (Portney, 2020). John Snow's study, which utilized epidemiological techniques to locate the cause of a cholera outbreak in London in the middle of the 19th century, is one of the early instances of evidence-based public health. The management of infectious diseases became less of a priority in public health throughout the early to mid-20th century in favor of the prevention of chronic diseases. The creation of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the 1940s and 1950s gave researchers a thorough way to assess the efficacy of therapies. But the idea of evidence-based medicine (EBM), which emphasized utilizing the best available scientific data to inform clinical decision making, did not arise until the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the idea of evidence-based public health (EBPH) began to take shape. A change towards evidence-based decision making in public health was advocated in the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) 1998 study, "The Future of Public Health." The study placed a strong emphasis on the value of utilizing the best available scientific information to inform decision-making and the requirement that public health authorities have the knowledge and tools necessary to acquire and understand scientific research.
The significance of evidence-based decision making in public health has received more attention after the release of the IOM report (Czeisler et al., 2020). Evidence-based decision making now heavily relies on the creation of evidence-based recommendations as well as the evaluation of treatments using systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Additionally, more people are doing community-based participatory research because public health authorities understand how important it is to involve communities in the decision-making process. Wider changes in healthcare and public health have also influenced the development of evidence-based decision making in public health. Evidence-based decision making has become easier because to the development of health informatics and the accessibility of electronic health information. Evidence-based public health has also been affected by the growing focus on health equity and socioeconomic determinants of health because public health authorities understand how critical it is to address the underlying social and economic causes of health inequalities. In conclusion, the history of making public health decisions based on evidence dates back to the early 20th century. But it wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that public health began to place a high priority on evidence-based decision making. Since the late 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, when the idea of evidence-based public health first came into being, there has been a greater focus placed on the value of utilizing the best available scientific data to inform decisions. Broader developments in healthcare and public health, such as the development of health informatics and the growing focus on health equality and socioeconomic determinants of health, have influenced the development of evidence-based public health.
Challenges to evidence-based public health decision making
Although it has grown in importance in the field of public health, evidence-based public health decision making is not without difficulties. Below is a discussion of some of the major obstacles to making decisions about public health based on evidence –
· Limited availability of high-quality evidence: The scarcity of high-quality evidence is one of the main obstacles to evidence-based public health decision making (Suarez-Lledo & Alvarez-Galvez, 2021). It is challenging to determine the efficacy of many public health treatments because they have not undergone thorough evaluation through randomized controlled trials. Making judgments’ based on solid facts might be challenging as a result, which can result in doubt regarding the best course of action.
· Issues with public health are frequently complicated and multidimensional, making it challenging to pinpoint the actions that will be most successful. For instance, combating the obesity pandemic necessitates tackling a number of variables, such as nutrition, exercise, and the built environment. Conflicting evidence may come from this complexity, which can make it challenging to establish evidence-based strategies.
· Resources are generally few for public health organizations, which can make it challenging to carry out thorough assessments of initiatives. As a result, using less rigorous techniques to evaluate interventions, including observational research or expert opinion, may become more common.
· Political influences: Political forces frequently affect public health choices, which can be at odds with evidence-based decision making. For instance, political factors rather than the best available scientific data may affect choices on funding for public health treatments.
· Change-resistance: Organizational or cultural hurdles may make it difficult to put evidence-based solutions into practice (Paul, Steptoe & Fancourt, 2021). For instance, if a healthcare professional is used to a certain technique, they may resist changing their practice in response to new findings.
· Limited public knowledge of evidence-based decision making: The public's comprehension of evidence-based decision making may be limited, which can make it challenging to win support for initiatives that are based on this kind of evidence from the general public. The existence of false information or information that contradicts one another in the media or on social media platforms may make this situation worse.
The role of evidence synthesis in public health decision making
By offering a methodical method for locating, evaluating, and summarizing the available information on a specific issue, evidence synthesis plays a crucial role in public health decision making. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and...