Introduction to the SURE Guides

Purpose of the guides

This series of guides is intended to help you prepare and support the use of an evidence-based policy brief. The first guide in this series provides an introduction to policy briefs, what they should include, and how they can be used.

How the guides relate to the SUPPORT Tools

The SUPPORT Tools for evidence-informed health Policymaking (STP) are a series of articles written for those responsible for making decisions about health policies and programmes, and the people who support these decision makers. This series of articles is intended to help people ensure that their decisions are well-informed by the best available research evidence. The SUPPORT Tools are included in a library at the end of the SURE Guides.  They are also available in Chinese at www.cjebm.org.cn/oa/scriptlsit.aspx?kind=Column&colid=103, and in French, Portuguese and Spanish at http://bit.ly/SUPPORT_Tools.

The SURE Guides build upon the existing SUPPORT Tools. However, they have a more focused target audience (namely those responsible for preparing and supporting the use of policy briefs in Africa) and a narrower focus (the preparation and use of policy briefs). The guides are specifically intended to provide detailed instructions and resources for the preparation of evidence-based policy briefs and to support their use. In addition to building on the SUPPORT Tools, the guides are being further refined through ongoing testing and evaluation as part of the SURE collaborative project.

How the guides are organised

There are eight SURE Guides. The first two provide background information about getting started and setting priorities for policy briefs. The next four guides address how to prepare a policy brief. The last two address how to use a policy brief.

1. Getting started
2. Setting priorities for policy briefs

3. Clarifying the problem
4. Deciding on and describing options to address the problem
5. Identifying and addressing barriers to implementing the options
6. Clarifying uncertainties, and needs for monitoring and evaluation

7. Organising and running policy dialogues
8. Informing and engaging stakeholders

What's in the SURE Guides

Each of the eight guides contains:

• A brief summary
• Background information
• Three or four subsections describing the steps required
• Illustrative examples
• Additional resources
• References

At the end of the guides there are libraries containing:

• A form for evaluating the guides
• A glossary
• PDF files of the Contents and each of the guides
• Appendices from the guides
• Checklists and worksheets referred to in the guides
• Templates
• Examples of policy briefs
• Other examples used in the guides
• Audio and video recordings
• The SUPPORT Tools for Evidence-Informed Policymaking
• SUPPORT summaries
• Teaching resources (workshop materials and PowerPoint presentations)
  

How to use the guides

The guides are intended to be a user resource. Information can be accessed in any of the following ways:

• Contents – The Contents section on the left of the electronic guides allows you to locate the section or content you require require and navigate to that section by clicking on the relevant heading
• Search – You can search for words anywhere in the text
• Hyperlinks – These allow navigation through the SURE Guides and lead directly to relevant examples or resources. Return to your previous page by clicking on the back arrow symbol. This is located in the top left hand corner of your browser screen
• Print – PDF versions of the the Contents section and the guides can be printed for use in workshops
• Libraries – Can be accessed from the bottom of the contents section
• Teaching – The library of teaching resources includes PowerPoint presentations and workshop materials

This page was last updated November 2011.