Barriers perceived by health directors for evidenced-based decision-making

Abstract

Objective. To identify the barriers to evidence-based decision-making regarding chronic noncommunicable diseases perceived by health administrators from the state of Paraná, Brazil. Methods. Telephone interviews were performed with 20 health region directors using a semi-structured script. The interviews were performed in 2015 and had a mean duration of 23 minutes. After transcription of the interview, the contents were analyzed for identification of subject categories. Results. Two categories were identified: organizational and personal barriers. The most frequent organizational barriers were “poor planning or management” and “regional and cultural characteristics of the population.” The most frequent personal barriers were “lack of incentive and difficulty to work with scientific evidence” and “lack of training and professional qualification.” Conclusion. Support to health professionals should be enhanced through technical training courses linked to political and scientific efforts that address the health needs of the community.