Research
Functions and Responsibilities
The Research Unit’s key objective is to support Department of Health personnel towards more effective and efficient use of research evidence in their work and to contribute to an overall enhancement of analytic capability within the Department.
Key Objectives and Strategies
To achieve this objective the Research Unit:
- Ensures DoH personnel have easy access to relevant material, e.g. through the development and provision of library and awareness services.
- Assists DoH personnel in understanding key research messages, e.g. by providing evidence reviews synthesising and analysing existing evidence.
- Builds capacity in identifying reliable research evidence and appropriate application and utilisation, e.g. through capacity building seminars and guides.
- Assists in the integration of research evidence into the daily work of DoH staff, e.g. by working with policy units to help develop an enhanced analytical approach.
- Communicates and interacts with other stakeholders in relation to the Research Unit’s work.
- Agencies/Service Providers/Working Groups
- Legislation
- Press Material
- Publications
- Useful Links
- Section 15 of FOI Act
- Contact this Unit
Agencies/Service Providers/Working Groups
The Research Unit works closely with the Evidence Centre in the Health Research Board (http://www.hrb.ie/) which provides a range of research, knowledge brokering and analytical related services and supports to assist in the achievement of the Research Unit’s objective.
Legislation
N/A
Press Material
Seminar on evidence informed policy and knowledge brokering http://healthupdate.gov.ie/nationwide/seminar-on-evidence-informed-policy-and-knowledge-brokering.html
Publications
Useful Links
Irish Resources
- Lenus HSE open access repository of Irish health related research, reports, and official publications.
- e-publications@RCSI Open access to RCSI research papers and other scholarly output.
- Rian Research publications of Irish universities and Institutes of Technology.
- Irish Social Care Gateway Directory of information for social care practitioners, students, academics and those interested in care issues.
International Organisations
- Health-EU Portal Official public health portal of the European Union.
- OECD Health This site contains information on work on health undertaken by different bodies of the OECD, for example on health indicators, health policies, the economics of health and environment and health.
- WHO WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
Databases for evidence-informed decision-making in health
- Cochrane Library Reviews on the effectiveness of healthcare interventions.
- Campbell Collaboration Maintains and disseminates systematic reviews in education, crime and justice, and social welfare.
- Trip Database Searches multiple websites for systematic reviews.
- PubMed Contains articles and reviews of relevance to evidence-based healthcare.
Other resources for evidence-informed decision-making in health
- The Health Well Health Well is an all-island (Ireland and Northern Ireland) health information website that promotes health and wellbeing by supporting evidence-informed decision-making.
- European Observatory on Health Systems and PoliciesSupports and promotes evidence-based health policy-making through comprehensive and rigorous analysis of the dynamics of health care systems in Europe.
- Centre for Evidence Based MedicineProvides evidence based healthcare tools.
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and ToolsThe mission of the NCCMT is to enhance evidence-informed public health practice and policy in Canada by providing leadership and expertise in sharing what works in public health.
- Support Tools for Evidence-Informed Health Policy-Making Series of articles where each presents a proposed tool that can be used by those involved in finding and using research evidence to support evidence-informed health policy-making.
Section 15 of FOI Act
Record Classes Administrative records in relation to the areas of work described above.
Significant Systems N/A
Personal Information Holdings N/A
Purpose N/A
Disclosees N/A
Notes: including information on admin access practice, Ebriefs etc:
Contact this Unit
Principal Officer/Head of Unit:
Assistant Principal Officer: Robert Murphy
Tel. No. 01-6353122
E-mail: research@health.gov.ie
