National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools

What is Evidence-Informed Public Health?

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

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

STAGES in the Evidence-Informed Public Health process

Click on the appropriate stage for more information and helpful resources.

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.