Abstract
The process of decision making is not linear and is affected by multiple factors, other than availability of evidence, such as political context, personal over public interests, decision makers’ accountability, relationships with stakeholders, and familiar experiences in the past. Evidence-informed decisions positively influence access, quality, efficiency, equity, and sustainability of health services, and improve transparency and accountability thereby reducing wastage, abuse, and corruption in the health system. This chapter presents six decision making tools that help policy makers and managers take evidence-informed decisions: burden of disease analysis; health technology assessment; cost-effectiveness analysis; health equity analysis; national health accounts analysis; and stakeholder analysis. The list of tools is not exhaustive, and additional tools can be explored to respond to the context and nature of the public health concern. Policymakers are not expected to know all their methodological aspects, rather they should know what tools are available, their purpose and application, strengths and limitations, and how to interpret the results in the local context.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Making Health Systems Work in Low and Middle Income Countries |
| Subtitle of host publication | Textbook for Public Health Practitioners |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Pages | 186-207 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781009211086 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781009211093 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2022 |
Keywords
- Burden of Disease
- Concentration Curve
- Cost-effectiveness Analysis
- DALYs
- Decision Making Tools
- Evidence Based Decisions
- Gini Coefficient
- Health Equity
- Health Inequality
- Health Technology Assessment
- Incremental Cost-effectiveness Ratio
- L&MIC
- Lorenz Curve
- National Health Accounts
- Policy Analysis
- QALY
- Stakeholder Analysis
