ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This article describes Canadian civil servants' awareness of, attitudes toward, and self-reported use of ideas about the determinants of health. METHODS: Federal and provincial civil servants in departments of finance, labor, social services, and health were surveyed. RESULTS: With civil servants in finance departments a notable exception, most Canadian civil servants see the health of populations as a relevant outcome for their sectors. Many (65%) report that ideas about the determinants of health have already influenced policymaking in their sector, but most (83%) say they need more information about the health consequences of the policy alternatives their departments face. CONCLUSIONS: Civil servants should consider developing accountability structures for health and researchers should consider producing and transferring more policy-relevant research.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health , Decision Making, Organizational , Government Agencies/organization & administration , Health Status Indicators , Policy Making , Public Policy , Canada , Data Collection , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Organizational Innovation , Politics , Social ResponsibilityABSTRACT
Conceptual, methodological, and practical issues await those who seek to understand how to make better use of health services research in developing public policy. Some policies and some policymaking processes may lend themselves particularly well to being informed by research. Different conclusions about the extent to which policymaking is informed by research may arise from different views about what constitutes health services research (is it citable research or any professional social inquiry that can aid in problem solving?) or different views about what constitutes research use (is it explicit uses of research only, or does it also include tacit knowledge or the positions of stakeholders when they are informed by research and are influential in the policymaking process?). Some conditions may favor the use of research in policymaking, like sustained interactions between researchers and policymakers. Results from an exploratory study on the use of health services research by Canadian provincial policymakers illustrate these issues.
