HEN is an information service for public health decision-makers in the WHO European Region, in action since 2003 and initiated and coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. HEN supports public health decision-makers to use the best available evidence in policy-making and aims to ensure links between evidence, health policies and improvements in public health.
By early 2020, HEN had published 69 reports covering high-priority topics in the WHO European Region. To better understand their impact on policy-making, the use and uptake of HEN syntheses published from 2016 have been monitored using a standardized mixed-method qualitative approach.
This document draws on findings from the HEN monitoring processes, including detailed feedback from 10 authors and eight technical unit collaborators on 16 reports, to identify valuable lessons for carrying out evidence syntheses effectively and efficiently in order to meet the needs of policy-makers and promote evidence uptake.
