Richard Doll Seminar: Using evidence to transform policy and practice – can it be done?

Abstract

Informing policy with relevant evidence is critically important for the establishment of effective and efficient health and related services and to foster large-scale, sustainable changes in practice. Many barriers to this exist, however. These include different drivers, incentives, resources, and timescales for the conduct of research and the production of policy. Tension between researchers and policy makers can result. This seminar will examine approaches to pro-actively meeting the needs of policymakers for high quality, relevant, accessible, and timely evidence. Drawing on over 35 years of research in maternal and newborn health and care, national and global examples of generating and translating evidence into policy and practice will be discussed, and key factors for success will be identified.