Evidence-Informed Decision Making in Public Health

What is Evidence-Informed Decision Making in Public Health?

The process of distilling and disseminating the best available evidence from research, context and experience, and using that evidence to inform and improve public health practice and policy.

Put simply, it means finding, using and sharing what works in public health.

STEPS in Evidence-Informed Decision Making in Public Health

Click on the diagram below for more information and helpful links to help you understand how to complete each step of the process. Find links to recommended methods and tools from our Registry that are applicable to each step.

EIPH Wheel

Clearly define the question or problem.

Define Search Appraise Synthesize Adapt Implement Evaluate

A model for evidence-informed decision making in public health

A model for evidence-informed decision making in public health

Evidence-informed decision making in public health considers the valuable evidence from a variety of sources:

  • community health issues and local context
  • existing public health resources
  • community and political climate
  • the best available research findings

Decision makers must rely on their public health expertise to integrate all relevant factors into any conclusions or recommendations.

For more information about evidence-informed decision making refer to our factsheet.

Click here to read more about how the NCCMT can help you to use evidence-informed decision making in public health in practice, featuring the Why it Matters video series exploring the importance of evidence-informed decision making in public health from the perspectives of four public health experts.

Check out the Learning Centre for our suite of online modules and other resources to support your evidence-informed decision making in public health skills.