| Description |
The organization of public health (PH) interventions usually does not concern the doctor himself, but whole groups of experts, professional societies up to political decisions. Evidence-based public health (EBPH) also affects population health policy. In this context, „evidence-based policy“ is sometimes referred to, where evidence of the effectiveness and efficiency of the intended intervention is also required in policy making. The most pressing problem of PH is usually not enough evidence that „something“ is to be done, but the lack of evidence for „what“ or „how“ to be done. In the broad field of EBPH, there is still a lack of conceptual frameworks setting out „how much“ and „how good“ evidence is needed, or at least sufficient, for policy decisions on public health interventions and programs. The need to harmonize and standardize the development of guidelines, including the evaluation of their quality and regular re-evaluation, are among the most fundamental requirements. Knowledge of the epidemiological situation in a particular country or region, and over given period of time, as well as modeling of further possible developments, are essential for making relevant recommendations. For example, the outputs of surveillance systems, risk assessments, cost-effectiveness analyzes, or consensual „evidence“ also serve as evidence for public health. The process of guidelines development consists of the phases of planning, implementation, publication, implementation, evaluation, and revision. Proven standardized methods are to be used in each of these phases. This article aims to summarize methods of creating, adapting, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based best practices in public health.
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