The Impact and Effectiveness of Equity Focused Health Impact Assessment in Health Service Planning

This free ebook looks at the use of equity focused health impact assessment (EFHIA) on health service plans. It examines:

1. What are the direct and indirect impacts of EFHIAs conducted on health sector plans?
2. Does EFHIA improve the consideration of equity in the development and implementation of health sector plans?
3. How does EFHIA improve the consideration of equity in health planning?

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About the ebook

This ebook describes the use and evolution of health impact assessment (HIA) and EFHIA internationally and in Australia, how it has been used in relation to health service plans, examines its effectiveness and impacts on decision-making and implementation and examines several EFHIAs using case study and interpretive description methodologies.

This research shows that EFHIA has the potential to have both direct and indirect impacts on health service planning. These impacts are influenced by a broad range of factors however. The case studies in this ebook show that engagement with the EFHIA process and the extent to which EFHIA is regarded as a broader learning process are important factors that mediate the extent to which EFHIAs influence subsequent activities.

This research suggests that it is not possible to adequately describe the full range of impacts of EFHIA on decision-making and implementation without looking at perceptions about EFHIA’s effectiveness, in particular the perceptions of those involved in the EFHIA and those responsible for acting on its recommendations. These perceptions change over time, suggesting that future research on the effectiveness of HIA should look at the mechanisms by which this change occurs.

The ebook makes two theoretical contributions in the form of (i) a typology for HIAs and (ii) a conceptual framework for evaluating the impact and effectiveness of HIAs. This conceptual framework is tested for its applicability and refined.

The ebook and the accompanying publications were written to fulfil the requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health at the University of New South Wales.

The Lessons and Benefits of Health Equity Impact Assessment

Erika Espinoza, is the Knowledge Exchange Lead for the North Region of Ontario within CAMH's Provincial Systems Support Team. The interview was recorded as part of the Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) Tool Community of Interest with funds from the Evidence Exchange Network (EENet).

Health Equity: Lessons &; Benefits of HEIA from CAMH Education Network on Vimeo.

HIA of Treatment Instead of Prison

Great news in the latest Human Impact Partners' email update:

In 2012, HIP partnered with WISDOM, a statewide congregation-based network, to assess the public health impacts of increasing funding for Wisconsin’s treatment and diversion programs for non-violent drug offenders. HIP’s study has had a tremendous impact on the conversation around treatment over incarceration in Wisconsin and helped win a four-fold increase in funding for treatment alternatives. Legislators from both parties have pledged continued support for future increases. Watch our video to learn more about this HIA success story.

Find out more here

Brazilian guide to HIA

The first Brazilian guide to HIA has been released. From José Braz D. Padilha:

The first publication in Brazil about the use of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) has been released. 

The material was prepared by as part of technical advice for the Ministry of Health of Brazil, through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Among the supporters and collaborators of publication are Dr Guilherme Franco Netto, former director of the Department of Environmental Health Surveillance and Occupational Health of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Simone Miraglia, UNIFESP (Federal University of São Paulo), among others. 

The publication is available on the Virtual Health Library (BVS), the Ministry of Health of Brazil, at the link below. 

http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publicacoes/avaliacao_impacto_saude_ais_metodologia.pdf 

This is a detailed guide for implementing HIA through partnerships with different institutions and professionals.

A terrific resource for Portuguese speaking HIA practitioners.