Unlocking Data To Inform Public Health Policy and Practice: Decision-Maker Perspectives on the Use of Cross-Sectoral Data as Part of a Whole-Systems Approach, 2022

Objectives: We sought to work collaboratively with public health stakeholders who use evidence in their work to identify practical ways that cross-sectoral data sharing and linkage could be used to best effect to improve health and reduce health inequalities. Methods: We undertook three sequential stakeholder workshops with participants from local and central government, public health teams, Health and Social Care Partnerships, the third sector, organisations which support data-intensive research, and public representatives from across Scotland. The workshops were informed by a scoping review on use of evidence in public health policy and practice, searching Medline, Scopus, SSCI, and key institutional websites, and by three case studies of existing cross-sectoral linkage projects. Details of data collection: The data collection comprises de-identified transcripts of stakeholder workshops and a copy of the visual map produced as part of the workshops. Stakeholders comprised people We held workshops to bring together people working in public health practice; in policy sectors potentially relevant to health; and in information governance, infrastructure and/or support for data and research; as well as a number of public representatives. Potential attendees were identified through a stakeholder mapping exercise with the project advisory group, followed by review of relevant organisational websites and advice from gatekeeper organisations such as Administrative Data Scotland.