Guide to qualitative evidence synthesis: evidence-informed policy-making using research in the EVIPNet framework

Overview

The Evidence-informed Policy Network (‎EVIPNet)‎ is an initiative of the World Health Organization (‎WHO)‎ that promotes the use of evidence from health research in policy- making. EVIPNet Europe focuses on increasing country capacity to develop evidence-informed policies on health system priorities, and thus contributes to the achievement of WHO’s triple billion targets, and the Sustainable Development Goals. EVIPNet Europe is committed to increasing the capacities of countries in utilizing the best available evidence in all the relevant forms, both quantitative and qualitative, to support policy-makers’ needs when making decisions. This guide aims to support country efforts to generate evidence, including qualitative evidence. It summarizes what a qualitative evidence synthesis is, and how it can contribute to the evidence-informed policy-making process; how a synthesis can be retrieved, appraised and used; how to develop a qualitative synthesis as recommended by Cochrane. This document can be used when commissioning, developing or reviewing a qualitative evidence synthesis, or any other synthesis product that includes qualitative data. It is not intended to provide a detailed step-by-step guide, but gives a broad overview of the methods, and provides references to other relevant sources of information.