The Swiss Learning Health System: a national initiative supporting evidence-informed decision-making
Abstract Issue Over the last years, there has been an ever-increasing interest in how to promote and support uptake of evidence and evidence-informed decision-making in health-systems related policy and practice. However, only few efforts have been made that aim at fully leveraging the knowledge and expertise of bigger networks to address this issue more comprehensively. Description of the problem Also, in Switzerland, the need to address this matter has been increasingly emphasized by actors in the health system. In particular, the lack of comprehensive coordination efforts in the field of health services research, and subsequent knowledge translation activities, has been stressed. Results In response, the Swiss Learning Health System (SLHS) was established as a nationwide project in 2017, currently involving 10 academic partners. One of the overarching objectives of the SLHS is to bridge research, policy, and practice by providing an infrastructure that supports learning cycles. Learning cycles enable the continuous integration of evidence into policy and practice by: continuously identifying issues relevant to the health system, systemizing relevant evidence, presenting potential courses of action, and revising and reshaping responses. Key features of learning cycles in the SLHS include the development of policy/evidence briefs that serve as a basis for official stakeholder dialogues, which are structured dialogues during which the best course of action is discussed and evaluated. Issues that are identified to be further pursued are monitored for potential implementation and eventually evaluated to inform new learning cycles and to support continuous learning within the system. Lessons The SLHS is an important mechanism to institutionalize learning cycles within the Swiss health system by leveraging the expertise and knowledge of a comprehensive network, going beyond individual initiatives, and to respond effectively to newly occurring health system challenges. Key messages The Swiss Learning Health System is the first nationwide project that aims to establish learning cycles that support evidence-informed decision-making in health-system-related policy and practice. The Swiss Learning Health System is an infrastructure that supports the continuous flow of evidence into policy and practice, providing a mechanism to respond to occurring health system challenges.