An evidence-based approach is a process of carefully identifying, assessing, and applying scientific knowledge that experts and organizations have produced, and that peers have validated, to inform your decisions on improving healthcare services and health outcomes. While this article speaks to the Public Health perspective, this approach is undoubtedly necessary in all career fields.
While it is essential to consider our own observations as experts along with the population's lived experiences, it would be unwise for Public Health and other related health professionals to forgo the science and be guided solely by our opinions or the population's values. All three are necessary. One aspect that often gets overlooked is the cultural context in which we implement these evidence-based tools, programs, and policies. It is easier for the people and groups we serve to adopt our work when it looks, sounds, and feels familiar to them.
Using an evidence-based approach helps to expand our knowledge and practices by considering factors we did not previously take into account and controlling our own biases. While nothing is perfect, this approach also allows us to have more confidence in our choices, as we can refer to other studies that have demonstrated that their testing and re-testing of practices yielded repeated progress in their efforts. Being evidence-based also helps you to understand what may only be applicable in specific contexts.
Considering that the Caribbean region is already limited in its digital sovereignty and experiences significant health inequities across different health topics, it is imperative to adopt this approach into all aspects of work and at every level of society to identity our country-level and regional gaps, develop well-informed and culturally rooted solutions, qualify for regional and international grants to continue efforts, build and expand our regional data and knowledge, and make the case for building our internal capacity for experts with providing career pathways.
Regal State of Health Consultancy takes pride in using the evidence-based approach (influenced by Caribbean culture, of course) as a best practice whether we are developing e-books on mental health or disaster preparedness; we also practice this approach during our background research when we are hired to design a health promotion campaign, design and facilitate a training session, manage a health project, write or revise policies or grant applications, and other services for corporate, non-profit, government, and non-government clients throughout the region. Review our Solutions webpage to learn how we can implement evidence-based practices tailored to your organization.