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Different criteria are used to prioritise topics for policy briefs1,2,3; three in particular are likely to be relevant in most circumstances:
Is the topic important? – For example, issues associated with a high burden of disease, large expenditures, major inequities, important inefficiencies, or large gaps in access to effective care are likely to be important.
Are viable options available to address the topic? – For a policy brief to be useful there must be at least two feasible policy options which are potentially effective, even if compelling evidence is not available. One of the options may be the status quo.
Is there an opportunity for change? – If, for example, political or other events have opened – or could open – a window of opportunity, a policy brief is more likely to be useful than if change is unlikely. Is there, for instance, an identifiable champion for the issue? It is important that an individual or organisation is available to ensure that the outcomes of the policy brief and dialogue are acted upon. If not, there is a high risk that nothing will happen. Such a champion may be someone in the Ministry of Health or another key stakeholder.
Additional criteria to prioritise the topics to be addressed in
policy briefs include:
Is there important uncertainty about the topic and potential solutions? – If there are conflicting views or uncertainty, a policy brief is more likely to be useful. Conversely, if there is already a well-founded consensus regarding a specific policy option, a policy brief is unlikely to be helpful.
Is relevant research evidence available? – Although the prioritisation of topics for policy briefs should be driven by the importance of each problem and the potential solutions, there may be pragmatic reasons for prioritising a particular problem for which relevant research evidence is available. Or, there may be good reasons for not prioritising a problem for which relevant evidence is unlikely to be found or synthesised with the time or resource limits.
Is there interest in informed deliberation about the problem and potential solutions? – A policy brief is more likely to be used if policymakers and stakeholders are genuinely interested in discussing the problem and its potential solutions. It is less likely to be useful if policymakers and stakeholders are uninterested or if their interest in the deliberation is not sincere. The latter response may occur, for example, if a decision has already been made.