Driving Better Health Policy: "It's the Evidence, Stupid": Uwe Reinhardt Memorial Lecture.

Health policy can be substantially improved by the use of high-quality evidence, but this requires dedication and discipline. First, it is important to define policies with enough specificity to allow serious assessment. Second, articulating goals as distinct from policies is crucial to evaluating the most effective policies for achieving those goals. Third, researchers must assess an often nuanced body of evidence without allowing their own policy preferences to bias their interpretation. Last, researchers need to dedicate effort to timely, accessible, reliable translation in order for evidence to have a real impact on policy. © Health Research and Educational Trust.