Two new articles to report, both linked to supporting policy.

Designing a rapid response program to support evidence-informed decision-making in the Americas region: using the best available evidence and case studies Haby MM et al. Implementation Science 2016 11:117

Conclusions: When designing a new rapid response program, greater attention needs to be given to specifying the rapid review methods and reporting these in sufficient detail to allow a quality assessment. It will also be important to engage in other strategies to facilitate the uptake of the rapid reviews and to evaluate the chosen model in order to make refinements and add to the evidence base for evidence-informed decision-making.

Rapid Evidence Maps as Decision Tools for Evidence-based Policy. Engelbert M.  (2016). Capstone Collection. Paper 2942

This paper describes a new type of evidence tool, the rapid evidence map (REM), that provides users with an overview of the evidence base on a particular topic, while adopting a sufficiently narrow scope to allow for rapid completion and applicability to specific policy decisions. In this way, the REM seeks to accommodate both decision-makers’ need for evidence and their real-world time constraints. After presenting the concept of the REM, I outline a pilot EM project for a Peruvian government agency seeking to improve its services for indigenous populations.