Call for papers, September 2016 issue – Deadline for submission: 30-04-2016
Public Health Panorama calls for submission of papers for a special issue on "Strengthening the use of evidence, information and research for decision-making". This issue will be published in September 2016 in conjunction with the Sixty-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe.
Evidence as the driver of change
A wealth of information, data and evidence from research is available in the European Region and is collated, analysed, appraised, synthesized and disseminated. Health policy is not, however, often optimally informed by such evidence.
National health information and public health research systems are two important sources of evidence for health policy. Health information systems provide information about the health status of the population based on surveillance of health hazards and disease. They are thus essential for giving policy-makers a reliable picture of the health situation in their country and understanding of the determinants of the health and well-being of the population.
Functioning public health research systems are another fundamental element for policy development and service delivery. National health research systems provide ownership of the knowledge relevant to national priorities. In addition to biomedical research, public health and health systems research, including implementation or operational research, is required to understand what works in the local context and to form the basis for innovative approaches to complex health system problems.
Knowledge translation – the dynamic interface that links health information and research with policy and practice – is another theme for which Panorama seeks examples of good practice for this issue. Key elements of knowledge translation include consideration of the local situation and context in which policies are implemented; fostering relationships among local researchers, policy-makers and stakeholders; and providing timely, reliable, relevant evidence.
Guidelines for submitting papers
We invite papers that describe good practice in strengthening the use of evidence, information and research for decision-making at the regional, national and subnational levels of the WHO European Region. We seek papers that demonstrate how evidence is used as an agent of change, driving innovation and changing health policies. Priority will be given to papers that describe outcome-oriented approaches, successful practices, innovative solutions and lessons learnt. The papers should demonstrate relevant links to:
- regional and national health information systems;
- health informatics and eHealth innovations;
- methods for visualizing and disseminating data and information for decision-making;
- public health research, in particular implementation and operational research;
- change management: strengthening the culture of using data, information and research; and
- methods for knowledge exchange and translation.
We welcome papers that document experience in low-resource and transitional economies. Manuscripts may be submitted in either Russian or English. The deadline for submission is 30.04.2016. Authors should follow the guidelines for contributors and mention this call for papers in a covering letter. All submissions will go through Public Health Panorama's peer review. For further queries, please see http://bit.ly/1PNcJOS or contact panorama@euro.who.int.
