Evidence-informed policy and practice

Issue 4 of the Injury Observatory for Britain and Ireland (IOBI) Newsletter "Injury Prevention News" has been published. It includes two articles written by IPH on the record low number of road traffic deaths in Northern Ireland in 2008 and a summary of an IOBI event IPH hosted in January.

Access here

The All Ireland electronic Health Library is pleased to announce that the Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services Network (HPH - www.hphlibrary.com) has joined the Library.

Their resources can also be accessed through the library’s website www.aiehl.org

Highlights in the March issue of 'Public Health News in Ireland' include:

IPH recently presented at the 24th All Ireland Social Medicine Meeting (AISMM)

The 24th AISMM including presentations on key issues in public health and social medicine. Various presentation themes included obesity, health improvement, maternal and child health, cardiovascular health and cancer. 

IPH presented posters on the following:

1. Local data to support local action

2. Public health networks

The next Health Analysts' Special Interest Group (HASIG) seminar will focus on using data at different geographical levels. Speaking at the event are Martin Charlton, National Centre for Geocomputation, NUI Maynooth, Fiona Johnston, Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service (NINIS) and Howard Johnson and Carmel Cullen, Health Intelligence, Health Service Executive (HSE).  The seminar will take place in Dundalk Institute of Technology.

Access seminar programme here

When is a simple answer sufficient?
Understanding complex interventions – implications for policy and practice in public health

Many of the major determinants of ill health and inequalities have roots in complex relationships between the individual and social forces shaping our choices and experiences over the life-course. Our efforts will too often be “confounded” and frustrated, if we imagine that we can easily unpack “the black box”.

The NHS Evidence website was launched today by Ara Darzi.  NHS Evidence is a new service allowing people working across health and social care – including social workers, commissioners, clinicians, academics and researchers - to access a comprehensive range of sources of clinical and non-clinical evidence helping them make informed decisions about treatments and resources.

The next Health Analysts' Special Interest Group (HASIG) seminar will focus on Health Modelling for Better Policy.

Speaking at the event are Celine O’Keefe, University College Cork, Lorraine Fahy, INIsPHO, Aisling McLaughlin, Centre for Public Health (NI) and Steve Barron, INIsPHO. 

A recent Health Analysts' Special Interest Group (HASIG) seminar focussed on different aspect of area level data.  Presentation were given on topics including local health and wellbeing indicators for the island of Ireland, neighbourhood statistics for Northern Ireland, Health Atlas Ireland and small areas in the Republic of Ireland. 

Access the presentations