EVIPNet Malaysia

Background

Significant gap exists between what is known about effective health interventions or health system designs and what evidence is used in health decision and policy-making. There are a number of explanations for this discrepancy but key among them is the issue of accessing evidence when it is needed and applying it to the local context. Studies examining the relationship between evidence and health decision-making suggest some common principles for improving the use of evidence:

The needs for evidence must be articulated by local decision-makers.
It is critical that the evidence be analyzed and interpreted based on local context.
The evidence must be trusted by local decision-makers; therefore it must be of high quality and from credible sources.
Decision-makers need access to evidence in a timely manner.
Evidence needs to be disseminated using proven methods.
Information must be packaged in a user-friendly format.
Evidence needs to be valued in order for it to be used. Therefore, encouraging a culture that is supportive of the importance of evidence (both creating it and using it) is key.
To be truly responsive, it is essential that mechanisms exist to commission new research when a gap in evidence has been identified.
Decision-makers should participate in setting objectives and formulating the agenda for both research and dissemination activities.
More opportunities for local researchers and decision-makers to work together are needed.
Concerted efforts and dedicated resources are required to develop and evaluate methods to decrease the gap.