SynthesisPloS one2013
Political and institutional influences on the use of evidence in public health policy. A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 108 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
108 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Scientific Evidence in Public Health Decision-Making: A Systematic Literature Review of the Past 50 Years.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Prioritizing policy issues for knowledge translation: a critical interpretive synthesis.Global health research and policy · 2025Pooled it
- Research evidence use in local government-led public health interventions: a systematic review.Health research policy and systems · 2023Pooled it
- Mapping the Qualitative Evidence Base on the Use of Research Evidence in Health Policy-Making: A Systematic Review.International journal of health policy and management · 2022Pooled it
- Systematic review and policy dialogue to determine challenges in evidence-informed health policy-making: findings of the SASHA study.Health research policy and systems · 2021Pooled it
- Lessons learned from descriptions and evaluations of knowledge translation platforms supporting evidence-informed policy-making in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.Health research policy and systems · 2020Pooled it
- Social values and health systems in health policy and systems research: a mixed-method systematic review and evidence map.Health policy and planning · 2020Pooled it
- A systematic review of frameworks for the interrelationships of mental health evidence and policy in low- and middle-income countries.Health research policy and systems · 2018Pooled it
- What are the best methodologies for rapid reviews of the research evidence for evidence-informed decision making in health policy and practice: a rapid review.Health research policy and systems · 2016Pooled it
- "I'll leave that to the case managers." Healthcare Service Providers' Perceptions of Organizational Readiness for Change in a Randomized Controlled Trial-A Qualitative Analysis Exploring Implementation Success.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Increasing the capacity of policy agencies to use research findings: a stepped-wedge trial.Health research policy and systems · 2019Trial
- A qualitative study of stakeholders' perceptions towards the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Zambia: equity and financial sustainability in question.Health policy and planning · 2026Article
- Perceived effectiveness of factors and intervention strategies for promoting evidence-based policymaking in Japan: a cross-sectional survey among policymakers, researchers and knowledge brokers.Health research policy and systems · 2026Article
- Mapping evidence for health policy and systems decision-making: a spectrum approach bridging tacit and scientific knowledge across local and global contexts.Health research policy and systems · 2026Article
- What does being "research active" mean in public health practice? Exploring behavioural and motivational dimensions of research activity in English local government through perceptions from embedded researchers.Journal of public health (Berlin, Germany) · 2026Article
- Stakeholders' views on the development and adoption of health policies related to pharmacist scope of practice and the pharmacy practice environment in Australia.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2026Article
- Identifying factors for promoting evidence-based policymaking in Japan with the perspective of policymakers, researchers and knowledge brokers: a semistructured interview.Health research policy and systems · 2025Article
- Use of evidence to inform regional primary health care planning in Australia.Health research policy and systems · 2025Article
- The Role of Nurse Implementation Scientists in Leading Health System Transformation in Atlantic Canada and Beyond: A Discussion Paper.Journal of advanced nursing · 2024Review
- Accelerating a learning public health system: Opportunities, obstacles, and a call to action.Learning health systems · 2024Article
48 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is increasing recognition that the development of evidence-informed health policy is not only a technical problem of knowledge exchange or translation, but also a political challenge. Yet, while political scientists have long considered the nature of political systems, the role of institutional structures, and the political contestation of policy issues as central to understanding policy decisions, these issues remain largely unexplored by scholars of evidence-informed policy making.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review of empirical studies that examined the influence of key features of political systems and institutional mechanisms on evidence use, and contextual factors that may contribute to the politicisation of health evidence. Eligible studies were identified through searches of seven health and social sciences databases, websites of relevant organisations, the British Library database, and manual searches of academic journals. Relevant findings were extracted using a uniform data extraction tool and synthesised by narrative review.
findings56 studies were selected for inclusion. Relevant political and institutional aspects affecting the use of health evidence included the level of state centralisation and democratisation, the influence of external donors and organisations, the organisation and function of bureaucracies, and the framing of evidence in relation to social norms and values. However, our understanding of such influences remains piecemeal given the limited number of empirical analyses on this subject, the paucity of comparative works, and the limited consideration of political and institutional theory in these studies.
conclusionsThis review highlights the need for a more explicit engagement with the political and institutional factors affecting the use of health evidence in decision-making. A more nuanced understanding of evidence use in health policy making requires both additional empirical studies of evidence use, and an engagement with theories and approaches beyond the current remit of public health or knowledge utilisation studies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.