Expert meeting on the use of evidence in decision making during health crisis

Consultation

5 December 2018 - 6 December 2018
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Organised by: ECDC

Evidence-based decision-making is central to public health, with public health institutes and national centres for disease control tasked with supporting governments in developing evidence-informed health policies. However, during public health emergencies this task becomes very challenging due to time constraints, uncertainty, high political pressure and sometimes lack of evidence.

ECDC is organising an expert consultation meeting in Stockholm in order to contribute to a better understanding by public health experts of the mechanisms through which scientific evidence feeds into decision-making processes during emergencies. During the meeting the key challenges faced by public health experts/officials when advising decision makers will be discussed. Through empirical case studies and constructive dialogue, focusing on infectious disease outbreaks, this meeting aims to identify lessons learned, knowledge gaps, and projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing evidence-based decision-making during emergencies. The meeting also seeks to identify future ECDC projects for country support in this area.

The workshop will bring together senior researchers, public health practitioners and decision-makers, as well as colleagues from the World Health Organization, the European Commission, and ECDC. The meeting is by invitation only.