Communication Workshop

Issues and challenges in the decision-making

process

Why don’t policy-makers use our data?

• Health data is often inaccessible, indigestible and obscure

• Unresponsive to the immediate needs of policy-makers

• By the time health data is published it is out of date• Information is "lost in translation" because it is not

directed to policy-makers in formats they can understand and use

• Don’t want to use data/evidence due to political considerations

Understanding the ‘know-do’ gap

People with the ability and authority to use information either:1. Don’t know2. Don’t understand3. Don’t care4. Don’t agree

Knowledge Translation Toolkit

What we would like decision-making to look like...

Problem is identified

Evidence is gathered

Decision made based on evidence

The reality

Source: Knowledge Translation Toolkit

Discussion5 minutes

Who influences your Ministry of Health?

Are their messages likely to support or oppose yours?

Influence mapping

TertiarySecondaryPrimary

Decision-maker

Advisors and

opinion leaders

Govt. departments

Associations and lobbies

General public

Beliefs

Media

The policy pieThe media

Cultural beliefs

Policy briefs

Experience

Resources

ValuesHabits and tradition

Lobbyists

Other countries

Academic research

Electoral cycle

Good ideas

Group work45 minutes

• Information needed to make a decision– Imagine you are the Minister of Health• You are about to attend your next budget meeting and

need information about the main health issues/challenges• Use the Report provided to help prepare your meeting

notes

– Imagine you are an external consultant• Review the quality of the Report provided to help

prepare recommendations for improvement