The use of high-quality research evidence to inform decision-making within public health policy is crucial to optimise patient and public health outcomes. The need for evidence-informed public health decision-making is a national and international priority; however, international research consistently shows that use of evidence by high-level public health decision-makers (e.g. policymakers and healthcare managers) is poor. Knowledge Translation (KT) refers to processes that facilitate evidence-informed decision-making. In Ireland, there has been a distinct lack of research that has explored the use of evidence within public health decision-making, or the use of KT strategies to enhance this.
The proposed project aims to enhance the use of research evidence within public health decision-making by policymakers and healthcare managers in Ireland by developing recommendations to be applied within a national context. The project will take a mixed methods approach guided by the Knowledge-to-Action model. A Cochrane systematic review will evaluate the effectiveness of existing KT strategies, followed by a survey and interviews with Irish policymakers and healthcare managers to determine current practice/needs in Ireland, and explore contextually-relevant influencing factors. The findings from these studies will be integrated using the Behaviour Change Wheel approach and stakeholder consensus to develop recommendations to optimise evidence-informed decision-making for high-level public health decision-makers in Ireland. Involvement of key stakeholders during consensus-building and as research team members will ensure that recommendations are acceptable, feasible and facilitate dissemination and implementation within national public health decision-making.
This interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral programme of research will impact on how evidence is used to inform public health decision-making in Ireland and internationally. It will develop recommendations informed by the needs and experiences of stakeholders. This project therefore stands to make a significant contribution towards addressing key national priorities and enhancing the application of evidence into public health policy and practice in Ireland.
