WHO held a high-level meeting on institutional capacity for use of evidence in health-policy making in Beirut, Lebanon, on 17–19 February 2019.
The main objectives of the meeting were to: discuss best methods for knowledge translation, with special reference to the Eastern Mediterranean Region; deliberate on the outcomes of the mapping survey of health research institutions (2016–2017); collectively complete the assessment survey for using evidence in policy-making (2018): and identify key elements of a regional strategy for enhancing institutional use of evidence in the policy-making process
The participants included high-level officials involved in health policy making processes at national level, international experts from Norway and USA, in addition to the WHO Assistant Director-General, Health Metrics and Measurement and the Executive Director, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, as well as senior WHO staff from the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
During the meeting, many topics were thoroughly discussed including: scientific research as source of evidence for policy; key modalities for evidence to policy; systematic approaches to the use of health technology assessments; national guideline development, adaptation and implementation plans; evidence-informed decision-making and establishment of knowledge translation platforms; policy development processes and use of evidence; routine health data and household survey use in developing evidence for policy; research and development as a source of evidence for decision-making; and modalities and approaches to institutional capacity for use of research evidence in decision-making.
Working groups discussed the main concepts for a regional strategy for enhancing institutional capacity and modalities for using evidence in health policy-making and worked to complete an assessment survey on investigating practices and challenges of use of research evidence for health policy-making in Eastern Mediterranean Region health care delivery institutions (for policy-makers).
