Final Report

Evidence-based Research in Health Policies

Joseph Toole

Introduction to Health Services and Research

5 July 2016

Increased rates of diseases, limited funds, and the growing technology calls for evidence-based research to improve population health. Public health practitioners ought to implement evidence-based research into their operations to achieve health goals and utilize the limited resources. Several programs have been developed from EBR to meet the needs of healthcare. Such programs include online resources on US medical surveillance, training and planning programs, evidence-based guidelines, systematic reviews, and policy tracking and monitoring. The key elements of EBR involve engaging the local community in decision making, using information systems systematically, and applying program-planning frameworks among others (Davis, Gross & Clancy, 2012).

Policy change entails art and science. Therefore, policymaking evidence could take various forms. The element of the concept comes from legal setting in societies. In law, evidence originates from police testimony, expert opinions, forensic science, and witness accounts. Quantitative research for policymaking can take various forms ranging from information in data reviewed journals, information from health care surveillance systems, and evaluation of different programs. Scholars argue the best evidence is that obtained from peer review journals. Such evidence contained detailed information on a particular health topic. Analysis of public health laws from peer reviewed journals could give some of the useful laws, invalid laws, and bad laws. Other quantitative data could be obtained from policymakers themselves. Such data could be used to solve particular healthcare issue. Study of policymakers could offer useful data on challenges facing healthcare, how voting patterns on healthcare issues are carried out, as well as perceptions of lobbyists (Davis, Gross & Clancy, 2012).

Similarly, qualitative evidence contains data obtained through observation, focus group, and interviews. Qualitative evidence could be used for pursuing and influencing policymakers to enact and implement a particular policy. Such data contains statistical evidence that could be utilized for the implementation of policies that address health disparities. The qualitative and quantitative evidence is used for developing systems for system surveillance. Such policy monitoring is used for examining the adoption, enactment, and effects of evidence-based policy. The surveillance systems are often utilized in the monitoring of policies that involve drug abuse, physical education, and feeding programs in schools. This explains why more strict policies have been implemented to control the sale of alcohol to minors. The survey also analyzes how a particular population is affected by a health polices, the impact of the policy and eventually provide recommendations that could be used to modify the policy to make it more efficient (Davis, Gross & Clancy, 2012).

The target audiences in EBR are members of the social systems such as the physicians, nurses, and clerical staff. Such individuals have immense power in influencing the speed at which evidence-based policies are adopted. Patients who provide useful feedback for a particular policy are also important because the feedback is used as a performance indicator. Such feedback enables policymakers to analyze the implementation process of a specific policy and provide methods of modifying it. Nurses provide a direct link to patients. Policies that involve home-based care are based implemented by nurses. As such, such nurses should be well equipped with EBR on a particular policy. There are also some organizations considered in EBR. Resources of an organization, physician full-time employees, size of an organization, and its location affects the adoption of policies. Most healthcare organization are decentralized to various departments for smooth implementation of healthcare policies. Larger organization are known to be creative when it comes to innovation based policies. Their employees are often trained and familiarized with the new policies to ensure they implement them smoothly. When implementing the EBR, the social system unit, health institute, and all stakeholders should support the procedure, clinical pathways, documentation systems and enactment of such policies. The culture of an organization is also important in the implementation of the EBR. Learning organization culture provides a conducive environment for adoption of such policies. An organization should be flexible enough to accommodate new policies and their promulgation. The other population target by EBR is leadership. Leaders at various levels ranging from ministers, the senators, the Congress, and healthcare administrators should be prepared to implement EBR (Davis, Gross & Clancy, 2012).

In conclusion, using data obtained from EBR is vital because it promotes healthcare services. Importantly, it helps to establish healthcare standards and set performance measures that enhance services delivery and improve the patient experience. Implementing the EBR requires cooperation from local health, medical licensing departments, medical schools, physicians, and professional associations among others. The research is critical because it enables healthcare providers to remain updated with current trends in the healthcare industry. The EBR also increases data available for healthcare givers. Health care providers could use such data to provide better patient care. The EBR also contains latest drugs, innovation, and practices that could be used to enhance the patient experience. EBR could also help in the decision-making process in health care industry. Lastly, research findings help to achieve the desired patient outcomes around the country. The EBR is responsible for cost effective healthcare services, and greater information availability. EBR also enables nursing care to be more individualized, effective, dynamic and streamlined.

References

Davis, M. M., Gross, C. P., & Clancy, C. M. (2012). Building a bridge to somewhere better: Linking health care research and health policy. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393014/?tool=pmcentrez