title: Evidence briefs and deliberative dialogues: perceptions and intentions to act on what was learnt.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop and implement a method for the evaluation of "evidence briefs" and "deliberative dialogues" that could be applied to comparative studies of similar strategies used in the support of evidence-informed policy-making.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants who read evidence briefs and attended deliberative dialogues in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia were surveyed before the start of the dialogues - to collect their views on pre-circulated evidence briefs - and at the end of the dialogues - to collect their views on the dialogues. The respondents' assessments of the briefs and dialogues and the respondents' intentions to act on what they had learned were then investigated in descriptive statistical analyses and regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 530 individuals who read the evidence briefs and attended dialogues, 304 (57%) and 303 (57%) completed questionnaires about the briefs and dialogues, respectively. Respondents viewed the evidence briefs and deliberative dialogues - as well as each of their key features - very favourably, regardless of the country, issue or group involved. Overall, "not concluding with recommendations" and "not aiming for a consensus" were identified as the least helpful features of the briefs and dialogues, respectively. Respondents generally reported strong intentions to act on what they had learnt.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although some aspects of their design may need to be improved or, at least, explained and justified to policy-makers and stakeholders, evidence briefs and deliberative dialogues appear to be highly regarded and to lead to intentions to act.
authors.affiliation: Health Policy PhD Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada .
authors.forename: Kaelan A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Moat
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, CRL 209, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1, Canada .
authors.forename: John N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Lavis
authors.affiliation: McMaster Health Forum, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada .
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Clancy
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon .
authors.forename: Fadi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: El-Jardali
authors.affiliation: Departamento Medicina Familiar, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile .
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pantoja
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D003657:Decision Making; D003906:Developing Countries; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D011050:Policy Making; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*