Accelerated roadmap for actions to strengthen evidence-informed policy-making presented at EHMA conference
The roadmap was publicly presented and discussed for the first time at the annual European Health Management Association (EHMA) conference that took place in Breda, the Netherlands on 17 June 2015. WHO/Europe developed the accelerated roadmap for actions to strengthen evidence-informed policy-making (EIP) in the WHO European Region earlier this year in a consultative process to address the often observed research-to-policy challenge.
It aims to foster the systematic and transparent use of health research in decision-making. 4 specific strategic directions will guide the future work of European stakeholders with a vested interest in EIP. The roadmap, moreover, lays the foundation for concerted and coherent stakeholder efforts to foster EIP and improve policies, supported by both scientific evidence and stakeholders' experiences and needs.
The session was chaired by Professor Mark Leys, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in Brussels, Belgium, who also chairs the Evidence-informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) Europe Steering Group. Furthermore, the session featured contributions by Ms Tanja Kuchenmüller, WHO/Europe; Mr Johan Hansen, the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research; and Mr Mircha Poldrugovac, National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia.
Stakeholders attending the session strongly expressed their support for the accelerated EIP roadmap, agreeing that it was an indispensable tool to foster the interface between health research and policy. They also agreed on the importance of continuing to refine the roadmap and increasing stakeholder engagement.
To take the accelerated roadmap to the next level, EIP will be the topic of a technical briefing at the 65th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in September 2015. An additional opportunity for consultation and discussion will be provided at the preconference workshop on EIP taking place just before the European Public Health conference on 14–15 October 2015 in Milan, Italy.
