ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic has not only outlined the importance of using evidence in the healthcare policy making process but also the complexity that exists between policymakers and the scientific community. As a matter of fact, scientific data is just one of many other concurrent factors, including economic, social and cultural, that may provide the rationale for policy making. The pandemic has also raised citizens' awareness and represented an unprecedented moment of willingness to access and understand the evidence underpinning health policies.This commentary provides policy recommendations to improve evidence-based policy making in health, through the lens of a young generation of public policy students and future policymakers, enrolled in a 24-hour course at Sciences Po Paris entitled "Evidence-based policy-making in health: theory and practice(s)".Four out of 11 recommendations were prioritised and presented in this commentary which target both policymakers and the scientific community to make better use of evidence-based policy making in health. First, policy makers and scientists should build trusting partnerships with citizens and engage them, especially those facing our target health care issues or systems. Second, while artificial intelligence raises new opportunities in healthcare, its use in contexts of uncertainty should be addressed by policymakers in terms of liability and ethics. Third, conflicts of interest must be disclosed as much as possible and effectively managed to (re) build a trust relationship between policymakers, the scientific community and citizens, implying the need for risk management tools and cross border disclosure mechanisms. Last, well-designed and secure health information systems need to be implemented, following the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) principles for health data. This will take us a step further from data to 'policy wisdom'.Overall, these recommendations identified and formulated by students highlight some key issues that need to be rethought in the health policy cycle through elements like institutional incentives, cultural changes and dialogue between policy makers and the scientific community. This input from a younger generation of students highlights the importance of making the conversation on evidence-based policy making in health accessible to all generations and backgrounds.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: since 2010, the French General Directorate for Healthcare Provision (DGOS) has launched an annual call for research projects which aims to promote the development of paramedical research: the Nursing and Paramedical Hospital Research Program (PHRIP). CONTEXT: five years after its creation, the question arises to what extent this program has contributed to reinforce the importance of paramedical research in France. OBJECTIVE: the objective of this study is to conduct a five years review of this program and to identify issues and challenges that it faces. METHOD: all research projects selected in the PHRIP program from 2010 to 2014 were included. The analysis focused on quantitative (number of projects, project budget, overall budget per year, last budget share obtained as an indicator of progress of the project) and qualitative variables (profession of project leaders, themes of research, type of healthcare facility which receives funding for research project). RESULTS: almost l0M were committed for 104 research projects over a five-year period. Among the strengths of the PHRIP program is the positioning of the patient at the center of its research projects and the increasing diversity in projects leaders' professions. Challenges are to prioritize research on primary care, to involve independent private practice healthcare practitioners as well as strengthened methodological support of paramedical practitioners to build and conduct research projects. DISCUSSION: a review ten years after the program launch would allow to assess, with hindsight, the impact of this program on the importance of paramedical research in France. CONCLUSION: the PHRIP program has generated considerable interest among French paramedical practitioners. These have finally identified a public funding program specifically dedicated to them, which allows them to invest themselves in their own applied research.
