Evidence based policy: Proceed with care

Abstract

Evidence based policy is being encouraged in all areas of public service, including health care Research currently has little direct influence on health services policy or governance policies The implicit assumption of a linear relation between research evidence and policy needs to be replaced with a more interactive model Researchers need a better understanding of the policy process, funding bodies must change their conception of how research influences policy, and policy makers should become more involved in the conceptualisation and conduct of research Until then, researchers should be cautious about uncritically accepting the notion of evidence based policy.