Accelerating Evidence-based Management in Public Health: Results from the First Two Years of PBRN Research

The current economic climate challenges public health agencies to document the health and economic benefits of their work and to justify management and resource allocation decisions based on evidence of impact and value. Most agencies, however, do not have the resources and expertise needed to mount rigorous, comparative studies of their decisions. Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) provide a model for public health agencies to collaborate with researchers in designing and implementing studies that produce evidence for management and policy decision-making in real-world practice settings. Recognizing the success of PBRNs in medical care research, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched the Public Health PBRN Program to support development of the nation's first cohort of research networks dedicated to expanding the volume and quality of practice-based research in public health. This session profiles management-relevant findings from research conducted by the 12 PBRNs that formed under this program during its initial two years (2009-2010). These studies examine the effectiveness of regionalized service delivery models in public health, the comparative effectiveness of alternative board-management governance relationships, the recent effects of downsizing and budget reductions on public health service delivery, the impact of changes in state and local public health funding streams on service delivery and entrepreneurship, and the use of public health informatics in management decisions. Through this research, PBRNs identify managerial innovations as well as unintended consequences, and highlight new strategies for translating research findings for use in managerial decision-making.