How policy informs the evidence

doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7280.184

BMJ 2001;322:184-185 ( 27 January )

Editorials

How policy informs the evidence

"Evidence based" thinking can lead to debased policy making

Education and debate p 222

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Who would not want health policy to be based on evidence? "Evidence based medicine" and "evidence based policy" have suchreassuring and self evidently desirable qualities that it mayseem contrary to question their legitimacy in relation to reducinghealth inequalities. However, these terms are now so familiarthat it is easy to forget the important question about what sortof data provide appropriate evidence for particular types of decisions.The sort of evidence gathered on the benefits of interventionsaimed at individuals may not help in guiding policies directedtowards reducing healthinequalities.

In this week's BMJ readers have the opportunity to assess part of the process leading to the recommendations of the IndependentInquiry into Health Inequalities (the Acheson inquiry),¹ establishedin 1997 to help the government formulate policy to reduce healthinequalities. The inquiry established an evaluation group to reporton the quality of the evidence it used . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us Add to Digg

Digg

StumbleUpon Add to Technorati

Technorati What's this?

Relevant Articles

How policy informs the evidence: Arminée Kazanjian and Robert F Boruch
BMJ 2001 322: 1304. [Extract] [Full Text]

Using evidence to inform health policy: case study: Sally Macintyre, Iain Chalmers, Richard Horton, and Richard Smith
BMJ 2001 322: 222-225. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

Meyrick, J. (2006). What is Good Qualitative Research?: A First Step towards a Comprehensive Approach to Judging Rigour/Quality. J Health Psychol 11: 799-808 [Abstract]
Thomson, H., Atkinson, R., Petticrew, M., Kearns, A. (2006). Do urban regeneration programmes improve public health and reduce health inequalities? A synthesis of the evidence from UK policy and practice (1980-2004). J. Epidemiol. Community Health 60: 108-115 [Abstract] [Full text]
Barreto, M. L (2005). Efficacy, effectiveness, and the evaluation of public health interventions. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 59: 345-346 [Full text]
Gysels, M., Hughes, R., Aspinal, F., Addington-Hall, J. M., Higginson, I. J. (2004). What methods do stakeholders prefer for feeding back performance data: a qualitative study in palliative care. Int J Qual Health Care 16: 375-381 [Abstract] [Full text]
Kristensen, P., Bjerkedal, T., Irgens, L. M (2004). Birthweight and work participation in adulthood. Int J Epidemiol 33: 849-856 [Abstract] [Full text]
Nutbeam, D. (2004). Getting evidence into policy and practice to address health inequalities. HEALTH PROMOT INT 19: 137-140 [Full text]
Gupta, S., Roos, L. L., Walld, R., Traverse, D., Dahl, M. (2003). Delivering Equitable Care: Comparing Preventive Services in Manitoba. AJPH 93: 2086-2092 [Abstract] [Full text]
Krieger, N, Northridge, M, Gruskin, S, Quinn, M, Kriebel, D, Davey Smith, G, Bassett, M, Rehkopf, D H, Miller, C (2003). Assessing health impact assessment: multidisciplinary and international perspectives. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 57: 659-662 [Abstract] [Full text]
Macleod, J, Davey Smith, G (2003). Psychosocial factors and public health: a suitable case for treatment?. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 57: 565-570 [Abstract] [Full text]
Lawlor, D A, Ness, A R, Cope, A M, Davis, A, Insall, P, Riddoch, C (2003). The challenges of evaluating environmental interventions to increase population levels of physical activity: the case of the UK National Cycle Network. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 57: 96-101 [Full text]
Macintyre, S. (2003). Evidence based policy making. BMJ 326: 5-6 [Full text]
Krokstad, S., Johnsen, R., Westin, S. (2002). Social determinants of disability pension: a 10-year follow-up of 62 000 people in a Norwegian county population. Int J Epidemiol 31: 1183-1191 [Abstract] [Full text]
Iliffe, S., Manthorpe, J. (2002). Risk maps and three dimensional models: a rejoinder to Misselbrook and Armstrong. Fam Pract 19: 704-707 [Full text]
Mackenbach, J. P, Stronks, K. (2002). A strategy for tackling health inequalities in the Netherlands. BMJ 325: 1029-1032 [Full text]
Smith, G. D. (2002). Commentary: Behind the Broad Street pump: aetiology, epidemiology and prevention of cholera in mid-19th century Britain. Int J Epidemiol 31: 920-932 [Full text]
Cummins, S., Macintyre, S. (2002). "Food deserts"---evidence and assumption in health policy making. BMJ 325: 436-438 [Full text]
Power, C., Manor, O., Li, L. (2002). Are inequalities in height underestimated by adult social position? Effects of changing social structure and height selection in a cohort study. BMJ 325: 131-134 [Abstract] [Full text]
Shaw, M. (2002). The accidental epidemiologist: losing the way or following social-epidemiological leads?. Int J Epidemiol 31: 523-526 [Full text]
Rodgers, A. (2001). Income, health, and the National Lottery. BMJ 323: 1438-1439 [Full text]
Frankel, S. (2001). Commentary: Medical care and the wider influences upon population health: a false dichotomy. Int J Epidemiol 30: 1267-1268 [Full text]
Donovan, J. L, Frankel, S. J, Neal, D. E, Hamdy, F. C (2001). Screening for prostate cancer in the UK. BMJ 323: 763-764 [Full text]
Shah, E. (2001). Poverty, Inequality and Health. An International Perspective: D Leon, G Walt (eds). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.. Int J Epidemiol 30: 1202-1203 [Full text]
Kazanjian, A., Boruch, R. F (2001). How policy informs the evidence. BMJ 322: 1304-1304 [Full text]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Evidence and health inequalities: Leon Rozewicz
bmj.com, 30 Jan 2001 [Full text]
Comprehensive Evidence Needed in Decision-making: Armin�e Kazanjian
bmj.com, 31 Jan 2001 [Full text]
Evidence for policy - Beyond the RCT: John Kemm
bmj.com, 6 Feb 2001 [Full text]
Health inequalities policy: Do we need evidence of effectiveness?: Adam Oliver
bmj.com, 23 Mar 2001 [Full text]