Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37579355›Full record

ReviewInternational journal of health policy and management2023

Why Should Health Researchers Use Policy Theories? Comment on "Modelling the Health Policy Process: One Size Fits All or Horses for Courses?"

Paul Cairney

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in International journal of health policy and management, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Policy Horses Still Running Around Healthcare Courses: A Response to Recent Commentaries.International journal of health policy and management · 2024
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

Paul CairneyDivision of History, Heritage, and Politics, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9956-832X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Powell and Mannion suggest that 'health policy process' research should draw more lessons from 'the wider policy process literature.' While health research could continue with sector specific models, the wider literature is 'conceptually stronger.' In that context, I clarify how and why health researchers should use policy theories. I describe a review of the use of policy theories in public health research to show that many researchers use them to not only understand policy-making but also influence policy and policy-making. Most policy theories are not designed for that purpose, but it is still possible to produce practical lessons. I outline the issues that arise when repurposing theory-informed insights, such as that policy change takes a long time, and the scale of policy-making is potentially overwhelming. I then highlight the valuable role of theories in raising dilemmas in relation to modes of governance and evidence production.

Indexed as

Health PolicyPolicy MakingAnimalsHorsesPublic HealthHealth PolicyPolicy-MakingPolicy TheoriesPublic Policy

Identifiers

PMID37579355
PMCPMC10702368

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.