Managing mixed health systems: the role of evidence

While it’s clear that much more evidence is needed to guide decision making in health systems, there is disagreement about the questions we should be asking and the types of research methodologies appropriate to answer those questions.

The types of evidence we seek are often constrained by what resources (including time and expertise) we have available to collect and analyse data. But what other factors (organisational, cultural, political) might shape what evidence we seek and the questions we ask?

It’s good to reflect, near the end of this course, on how the system itself may shape and constrain even what we study and learn from it.