scholarly journals A Framework for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Large-Scale Food Fortification Programs

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1802-1802
Author(s):  
Valerie Friesen ◽  
Mduduzi Mbuya ◽  
Lynnette Neufeld ◽  
Frank T Weiringa
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Program Design ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Food Fortification ◽  
Impact Pathway ◽  
Gates Foundation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

Abstract Objectives The use of evidence on program performance and potential for impact for decision making in food fortification programs is limited and often done in isolation from other micronutrient interventions. We present a framework for fortification stakeholders responsible for making program recommendations and decisions to facilitate and document evidence-based decision making. Methods First, we reviewed the literature to define the key decision makers and decisions necessary for effective fortification program design and delivery, informed by a clear impact pathway. Then we classified decisions by domain, identified data sources and criteria for their assessment, and adapted the GRADE Evidence to Decision framework to summarize the results. Finally, we considered how the framework would apply to different country programs to test its utility. Results Policymakers, particularly government ministries, and the food producers themselves are the most important decision makers in a fortification program, while technical support agencies, donor agencies, and the research community play important roles in translating data and evidence into contextualized recommendations that meet the needs of different decision makers. The main fortification decision types were classified into five domains across the impact pathway: 1) program design (need, food vehicle(s)); 2) program delivery (compliance, quality, coverage); 3) program impact (nutrient intake and status); 4) overlapping micronutrient interventions and/or under-served populations; and 5) decisions to continue or stop programs. Important criteria for the assessment of each decision type included priority, benefits/risks, equity, acceptability, and feasibility among others. Country examples illustrated the importance of coordinating decision-making in the context of overlapping micronutrient interventions to ensure continued safety and impact over time. Conclusions This framework is a practical tool to enable evidence-based decision making by fortification stakeholders. Using evidence in a systematic and transparent way can enable more effective program design, delivery, and ultimately health impacts. Funding Sources Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

scholarly journals The challenge of bringing evidence in decision-making for public health emergencies: can preparedness reach out to HTA?

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
C E Chronaki ◽  
A Miglietta
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

Abstract Evidence-based decision-making is central to public health. Implementing evidence-informed actions is most challenging during a public health emergency as in an epidemic, when time is limited, scientific uncertainties and political pressures tend to be high, and reliable data is typically lacking. The process of including data for preparedness and training for evidence-based decision making in public health emergencies is not systematic and is complicated by many barriers as the absence of common digital tools and approaches for resource planning and update of response plans. Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is used with the aim to improve the quality and efficiency of public health interventions and to make healthcare systems more sustainable. Many of today's public health crises are also cross-border, and countries need to collaborate in a systematic and standardized way in order to enhance interoperability to share data and to plan coordinated response. Digital health tools have an important role to play in this setting, facilitating use of knowledge about the population that can potentially affected by the crisis within and across regional and national borders. To strengthen the impact of scientific evidence on decision-making for public health emergency preparedness and response, it is necessary to better define and align mechanisms through which interdisciplinary evidence feeds into decision-making processes during public health emergencies and the context in which these mechanisms operate. Activities and policy development in the HTA network could inform this process. The objective of this presentation is to identify barriers for evidence-based decision making during public health emergencies and discuss how standardization in digital health and HTA processes may help overcome these barriers leading to more effective coordinated and evidence-based public health emergency response.

scholarly journals Evidence-Based Decision Making for Nutrition Policy and Programme Formulation in Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study Exploring Barriers and Facilitators

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1366-1366
Author(s):  
Solomon Eshetu Hailu ◽  
Tesfaye Bekele ◽  
Namukolo Covic ◽  
Desalegn Kuche ◽  
Beza Teshome ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Nutrition Policy ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Program Coordinators ◽  
Nutrition Research ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making ◽  
Evidence Dissemination ◽  
Program Decisions

Abstract Objectives Despite much nutrition research conducted in Ethiopia, none has described existing opportunities for synergy or possible missed opportunities to use research to inform policy and program decisions to foster accelerated progress. The study aimed to describe prevailing processes on evidence use in formulating nutrition policy and program decisions and identify potential barriers and opportunities for evidence-based decision-making for nutrition for Ethiopia's context. Methods In 2017, 29 purposively selected key informants (KIs) were interviewed. They were identified using a consultative stakeholder mapping workshop and represented National Nutrition Program coordinators, key actors in government sectors, program coordinators from selected local and international NGOs, local and international universities and research institutes involved in nutrition research and key actors in policy decision-making. A framework analysis including identifying themes, coding, indexing, charting, mapping and interpretation was used. A validation workshop discussed findings and added perspectives to interpretation. Results The KIs perceived that demand for evidence from the Ethiopian government had been increasing over time. Majority referred to poor research quality as a barrier for using research in decision-making processes. Other challenges identified included limited cross-linkage, coordination gaps between researchers and decision makers, and inadequate translation of research evidence into meaningful information for policy makers. Availability of different forums, research dissemination conferences and suitable institutional structures that enable research and evidence dissemination were considered to be opportunities that should be leveraged to inform policy making. Conclusions The quality of research, and of collaborative engagement between those who produce evidence and decision makers who formulate policies need to be strengthened. Regular evidence dissemination events and publication of action oriented easy to read briefs could increase use of evidence among nutrition policy makers. Funding Sources Ethiopian Public Health Institute and Evidence-informed Decision-making in Health and Nutrition Network.

scholarly journals Utilizing a time-to-shelf study to start a conversation on change

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-33
Author(s):  
Sally Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Workflow Analysis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show the value of benchmarking organizational performance in order to enable conversations about workflow analysis and potential changes. Design/methodology/approach – Data from a time-to-shelf study are compared to literature describing similar studies at other academic libraries which enable the decision-making process for a new workflow. Findings – The results of a time-to-shelf study necessitated a change in workflow. This paper examines how the data enabled staff to agree to changes and supported the decision-making process. Originality/value – This paper examines the impact of evidence-based decision making on the performance and workflow of a technical services department.

scholarly journals Planning for Human-Wildlife Coexistence: Conceptual Framework, Workshop Process, and a Model for Transdisciplinary Collaboration

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvio Marchini ◽  
Katia M. P. M. B. Ferraz ◽  
Vania Foster ◽  
Thiago Reginato ◽  
Aline Kotz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
National Park ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Agreed Definition

Coexistence, as a concept and as a management goal and practice, has attracted increasing attention from researchers, managers and decision-makers dedicated to understanding and improving human-wildlife interactions. Although it still lacks a universally agreed definition, coexistence has increasingly been associated with a broad spectrum of human-wildlife interactions, including positive interactions, transcending a conservation focus on endangered wildlife, and involving explicitly considerations of power, equity and justice. In a growingly complex and interconnected human-dominated world, the key to turning human-wildlife interactions into large-scale coexistence is thorough planning. We present an approach for evidence-based, structured, and participatory decision-making in planning for human-wildlife coexistence. More specifically, we propose (i) a conceptual framework for describing the situation and setting the goals, (ii) a process for examining the causes of the situation and creating a theory of change, and (iii) a model for transdisciplinary research and collaboration integrating researchers, decision-makers and residents along with the interests of wildlife. To illustrate the approach, we report on the workshop considering the Jaguars of Iguaçu, a conservation project whose strategy includes the improvement of the relationship between ranchers and jaguars outside Iguaçu National Park, Brazil.

scholarly journals Sysrev: A FAIR Platform For Data Curation And Systematic Evidence Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Bozada ◽  
James Borden ◽  
Mardo Del Cid ◽  
Jennifer Malinowski ◽  
Thomas Luechtefeld
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Use Cases ◽  
Data Curation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Fair Principles ◽  
Many Sources ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

Well-curated datasets are essential to evidence based decision making and to the integration of artificial intelligence with human reasoning across disciplines. However, many sources of data remain siloed, unstructured, and/or unavailable for complementary and secondary research. Sysrev was developed to address these issues. First, Sysrev was built to aid in systematic evidence reviews (SER), where digital documents are evaluated according to a well defined process, and where Sysrev provides an easy to access, publicly available and free platform for collaborating in SER projects. Secondly, Sysrev addresses the issue of unstructured, siloed, and inaccessible data in the context of generalized data extraction, where human and machine learning algorithms are combined to extract insights and evidence for better decision making across disciplines. Sysrev uses FAIR - Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse of digital assets - as primary principles in design. Sysrev was developed primarily because of an observed need to reduce redundancy, reduce inefficient use of human time and increase the impact of evidence based decision making. This publication is an introduction to Sysrev as a novel technology, with an overview of the features, motivations and use cases of the tool. Methods: Sysrev.com is a FAIR motivated web platform for data curation and SER. Sysrev allows users to create data curation projects called "sysrevs" wherein users upload documents, define review tasks, recruit reviewers, perform review tasks, and automate review tasks. Results: Thousands of Sysrev projects have been created, accommodating research in a wide variety of disciplines. Described use cases include data curation, managed reviews, and SERs. Through public accessibility and the ability for users to clone the framework of other projects, Sysrev demonstrates alignment to FAIR Principles.

scholarly journals Sysrev: A FAIR Platform for Data Curation and Systematic Evidence Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Bozada ◽  
James Borden ◽  
Jeffrey Workman ◽  
Mardo Del Cid ◽  
Jennifer Malinowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Use Cases ◽  
Data Curation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Many Sources ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

Well-curated datasets are essential to evidence based decision making and to the integration of artificial intelligence with human reasoning across disciplines. However, many sources of data remain siloed, unstructured, and/or unavailable for complementary and secondary research. Sysrev was developed to address these issues. First, Sysrev was built to aid in systematic evidence reviews (SER), where digital documents are evaluated according to a well defined process, and where Sysrev provides an easy to access, publicly available and free platform for collaborating in SER projects. Secondly, Sysrev addresses the issue of unstructured, siloed, and inaccessible data in the context of generalized data extraction, where human and machine learning algorithms are combined to extract insights and evidence for better decision making across disciplines. Sysrev uses FAIR - Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse of digital assets - as primary principles in design. Sysrev was developed primarily because of an observed need to reduce redundancy, reduce inefficient use of human time and increase the impact of evidence based decision making. This publication is an introduction to Sysrev as a novel technology, with an overview of the features, motivations and use cases of the tool.Methods: Sysrev. com is a FAIR motivated web platform for data curation and SER. Sysrev allows users to create data curation projects called “sysrevs” wherein users upload documents, define review tasks, recruit reviewers, perform review tasks, and automate review tasks.Conclusion: Sysrev is a web application designed to facilitate data curation and SERs. Thousands of publicly accessible Sysrev projects have been created, accommodating research in a wide variety of disciplines. Described use cases include data curation, managed reviews, and SERs.

scholarly journals A qualitative exploration of evidence-based decision making in public health practice and policy: the perceived usefulness of a diabetes economic model for decision makers

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-487
Author(s):  
Amy Grove ◽  
Tom Sanders ◽  
Sarah Salway ◽  
Elizabeth Goyder ◽  
Susan Hampshaw
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Economic Model ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Economic Modelling ◽  
Health Practice ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

<sec id="st1"> Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceived usefulness of a diabetes economic model as a potential tool for aiding evidence-based decision making in public health.</sec> <sec id="st2"> Methods Fifteen interviews and two focus groups, with four participants in each, were conducted with health and management professionals working in one public health department in a local council. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis to generate four themes.</sec> <sec id="st3"> Findings The findings reflect attitudes and beliefs of a diverse staff group situated in public health services. Findings reveal that the economic model was perceived as useful and participants reported positive views regarding the principles of economic modelling for decision making. However, it was potentially problematic in practice due to organisational constraints linked to limited resources, restricted budgets and local priorities. Differences in institutional logics of staff working across public health and local government departments were identified as a potential barrier to the use of the model in practice.</sec> <sec id="st4"> Discussion The findings highlight anticipated challenges that public health practice and policy decision-makers could face if they selected to implement an economic modelling approach to fulfil their evidence needs. Previous studies have revealed that healthcare decision makers would find evidence around the economic impacts of public health interventions useful, but this information was not always available in the format required. This paper provides insights into how public health staff perceive economic modelling, and explores how they use this type of evidence when making public health practice and policy decisions.</sec>

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