A Fundamental Concept for Public Health Practice, Coursework Example

Evidence-based public health (EBPH) policies are designed to support decision making in health care that is based on scientific and research evidence (Brownson, Fielding, & Maylahn, 2009, p. 176). Evidence-based intervention is established through peer reviewed research. It is a part of community guide documents, and cochrane reviews.  Brownson, Fielding, & Maylahn (2009, p. 193) state that evidence-based practice is suitable to address health disparities, hence, it is important that health care professionals are aware of the requirements, policies, and gain adequate support, training for implementing changes in their practice. Further, the authors state that the successful implementation of EPBPH can improve the quality of health service and result in better patient outcomes.

Brownson, Chriqui, & Stamatakis (2009) state that research- derived evidence is essential for all evidence-based policies. However, the authors also note that creating policies based on research evidence (such as banning smoking on flights, as it has harmful effect on non-smoking passengers) can only be effective, if a follow-up research records the policy outcomes. As the artcile states: “policy evaluations are critical to the understanding of the impact of policies on community- and individual-level behavior changes” (Brownson, Chriqui, & Stamatakis, 2009, p. 1579).

As a conclusion, evidence-based health care policies are effective in improving the quality of care and patient outcomes, provided that follow-up research is concluded and the effectiveness of the policies is constantly monitored. Initial findings might indicate that the introduction of the policy would improve the health care, however, individual and demographic variations, as well as implementation barriers should be assessed in order to ensure the best possible health care outcomes are achieved and patients benefit from the reforms.

References

Brownson, R., Fielding, J. & Maylahn, C. (2009) Evidence-Based Public Health: A Fundamental Concept for Public Health Practice. Annual Review of Public Health. 2009. 30:175–201

Brownson, R.,  Chriqui, J. & Stamatakis. K. (2009) Understanding evidence-based public health policy. American Journal of Public Health. 2009 September; 99(9): 1576–1583.