Evidence, policy, impact: WHO guide for evidence-informed decision-making

ABSTRACT

Strengthening the use of research evidence to advance health impact - To improve health and well-being and accelerate the achievement of the Triple Billion targets, we need better evidence for better decisions. There are moral, socioeconomic and political arguments to increase the use of research in decision- and policy-making. By leveraging the best available evidence, we can improve the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of health policies and interventions, enhance the effective use of scarce public resources, and increase the transparency and accountability of policies and interventions. The importance of evidence-informed approaches, both in policy formulation and implementation, has long been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its Member States. With the General Programme of Work (GPW)13 and the creation of the Science Division, our Organization has reinforced its science- and evidence-based mandate. The COVID-19 pandemic additionally stressed the importance of the expeditious use of the best available scientific evidence to guide governments and practitioners in their emergency response. To achieve even better results in future, we need to further optimize our work across the evidence ecosystem and ensure that decision-makers are equipped to navigate a plethora of partially overlapping evidence and guidance of variable quality. A well-functioning evidence ecosystem with structures, capacity and incentives in place will ensure that evidence is available and accessible to all, and routinely used to inform decision-making. This ecosystem is also essential to increase countries' resilience to public health emergencies and will equip them to lead evidence-informed efforts to mount their own responses when emergencies strike. The "evidence ecosystem for impact" framework proposed in this guidance aims to provide a conceptual structure to promote a more comprehensive, integrated approach across the Organization and with Member States and partners to create synergistic effects at the country level. Our vision for this guide is for it to serve as a matrix to capture WHO's methods and tools linked to promoting better informed decision-making in countries and globally. By doing so, it will allow greater awareness and uptake of existing tools/practices and promote collaboration between areas within the Organization and with partners. (Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist)