Communicating clearly: enhancing information-packaging mechanisms to support knowledge brokering in European health systems

Policy-makers are faced daily with making decisions and need access to good-quality health systems information. Stakeholders may seek to influence health policy as well as make decisions in their own spheres of responsibility. Both groups want information products that they can easily understand and that are clearly based on systematically conducted and transparently reported research. And researchers want to know how to communicate their findings effectively so that health systems policy-making can make use of the best available health systems information. The purpose of this BRIDGE summary is to encourage debate and innovation about the ways in which information is prepared and packaged for policy-makers and stakeholders as one component of a broader knowledge-brokering approach. Current thinking about knowledge brokering is largely driven by anecdotal information; this document presents real-world insights from research on knowledge brokering, primarily from Europe but drawing on global experience as well. This summary is intended not only for knowledge brokers whose work is dedicated to this role, but also for funders, researchers, policy-makers and stakeholders, all of whom can help to steer knowledge brokering by helping to set expectations for this work.