Closing the gap in decision making in health by a networking experience

The Colombian Network for Research on Policy and Health Systems (CNRPHS) is a project which involves academicians and policymakers in five regions around the country. Its work aims to close the gaps that exist among researchers, policy makers and civil society organizations, developing capabilities for the strengthening and support of essential public health functions and for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

 CNRPHS promotes the idea of Social Knowledge Management (SKM) in Public Health and encourages analysis among health stakeholders on a local, regional and national level. The SKM model contributes to equitable social development as it recognizes the impact that science and technology have on economic growth and sustainable human development, in future scenarios where the well-being of people is ever more dependent on the production, distribution and equitable utilization of knowledge.

 CNRPHS bases its activities on cooperative, interdisciplinary and inter-institutional work which intend to enhance the use of informed evidences by decision makers providing communication tools that allow them to interact with investigators. Communication is a decisive element that can positively influence the criteria for decision-making.

 The paper "Systematization of experiences in the development of policies for public health research´s CNRPHS" was produced by the Pan American Health Organization /World Health Organization with support provided by the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Regional Sustainable Development which belongs itself to the Office for Latin America and The Caribbean. It is currently available online at www.lachealthsys.org. This paper shows the link between public health and health outcomes throughout the production, distribution, valuation, appropriation and application of knowledge, carried out by different social agents. The intentions of these one is to improve the understanding and solution of priority problems in each region, especially the reduction of poverty and inequity, through the use of knowledge translation.