Each partner institution of the SLHS is working on one or more specific topic(s) that will lead to Policy Briefs and Stakeholder Dialogues.
Policy Briefs & Stakeholder Dialogues
Topics addressed in the SLHS are developed in close collaboration with all partners involved to facilitate the flow of information at the level of policy, research, and practice. That way, continuous learning cycles are implemented for all actors in the Swiss health system.
A prerequisite for problem consideration and learning cycles in SLHS is the review and synthesis of evidence that describes possible options to address the identified problem. The SLHS offers two such evidence synthesis tools, which are developed by the academic partner institutions: Policy Briefs, which serve as the basis for Stakeholder Dialogues, and Rapid Response Syntheses.
Policy Briefs
Policy Briefs are stand-alone documents, but in the SLHS they primarily serve as the basis for Stakeholder Dialogues. A Policy Brief describes an issue or problem by explaining relevant context factors and formulating a set of evidence-informed recommendations to address the problem. For each recommendation, it explains relevant issues and potential barriers and facilitators to their implementation.
Stakeholder Dialogues
Stakeholder Dialogues are a promising mechanism for informing decision-makers at different levels about evidence-informed recommendations of a problem and discussing them. At the same time, the dialogues also aim to create a culture of shared responsibility.
Stakeholder Dialogues are structured communication processes. During the dialogue, participants discuss the problem and the recommendations formulated in the Policy Brief, as well as barriers and facilitators. The goal is to develop a common understanding of the issue and discuss further steps. Dialogues are led by moderators who encourage participants to actively discuss their views.
Dialogues are usually concluded by first deciding whether or not there is agreement on a way forward. If there is no agreement, a decision is made whether (i) a second dialogue is needed to reach agreement, or (ii) whether further research and review is needed.
If a second dialogue is needed, stakeholders will be engaged in further structured dialogues to resolve potential disagreements. If further research is needed, the SLHS informs the academic partners' research agendas to clarify outstanding issues.
After the dialogues, the SLHS, in the spirit of a learning system, monitors and evaluates potential implementation efforts by relevant stakeholder groups and supports, if when possible.
Rapid Response Syntheses
Rapid-response syntheses are similarly structured documents to Policy Briefs but are produced in a shorter timeframe to address timely urgent issues. Based on current evidence, they summarize briefly the best course of action and potential barriers and facilitators to its implementation to address urgent issues in the health system.
Finding Evidence
Good starting points to look for relevant evidence are filtered resources that summarize and appraise evidence from different studies; these can include systematic reviews or evidence-based guidelines.
