A key enabler for the generation and use of high quality, relevant population health research is the enhancement of research capacity. To this end, the Population and Public Health Division is committed to producing and disseminating best practice guides to assist population health policy makers, practitioners and researchers to commission, undertake and use policy-relevant research.

Reviewing Economic Evaluations: A Checklist

The purpose of this checklist is to assist users across NSW Health to systematically review the quality and relevance of economic evaluations. The checklist focuses on the core principles of economic evaluation and how each can be used in appraising economic methods found in a range of documents such as peer-reviewed journal articles, grey literature, project proposals and reports.
Reviewing Economic Evaluations: A Checklist


Planning Economic Evaluations: A Checklist

The purpose of this checklist is to assist users across NSW Health to identify and consider all appropriate components when planning an economic evaluation. Once completed, users will have a clear outline of the parameters and requirements for their economic evaluation, which may be helpful when drafting project plans, project proposals, or documents to commission services for economic evaluations.
Planning Economic Evaluations: A Checklist


Preparing and Appraising Evaluation Reports: A Checklist

This checklist promotes a rigorous and planned approach to the preparation and appraisal of evaluation reports. It includes criteria for ensuring that reports are complete, that the results are robust and the conclusions are sound.

Setting Research Priorities: A Guide

This guide has been developed to assist NSW Health staff to identify and update population health research priorities. While it is written from a population health perspective, the guide may also be useful for supporting research priority setting processes in other health or human service fields.

Study Design for Evaluating Population Health and Health Service Interventions: A Guide

NSW Health is committed to the evaluation of population health and health service interventions in order to develop evidence-based policies and programs. This guide will support NSW Health staff in the planning of evaluations of interventions using appropriate study designs.

Commissioning Economic Evaluations: A Guide

NSW Health is committed to the development of evidence-based policies and programs and the ongoing review and evaluation of existing programs. This guide has been developed to support NSW Health staff in the commissioning of economic evaluations of health programs, particularly those in population health. The guide should be read in conjunction with Commissioning Evaluation Services: A Guide.

Developing and Using Program Logic: A Guide

NSW Health is committed to the development of evidence based policies and programs and the ongoing review and evaluation of existing programs. This guide has been developed to support NSW Health staff in the development of program logic and its use in informing population health program planning, implementation and evaluation. This guide promotes a planned and structured approach to developing program logic and includes information on: the meaning and purpose of program logic, when and how to develop program logic, and how program logic can be used, with a particular focus on planning an evaluation.

Commissioning Evaluation Services: A Guide

This guide to commissioning evaluation services complements the NSW Government Evaluation Framework and Toolkit. It promotes a proactive, planned and structured approach to commissioning evaluations, including information on when and how to commission an evaluation and how to make the most of the results. The guide draws on the principles and processes described in the Framework and Toolkit, but it is framed specifically in relation to the health context, and it focuses on commissioning an external evaluator. The guide may be used to assist NSW Health staff in developing a complete evaluation plan, or in drafting an evaluation plan to which a contracted evaluator can add value.​

Increasing the Scale of Population Health Interventions: A Guide

This is designed to be used by health practitioners, policy makers, and others with responsibility for scaling up evidence-based population health interventions. It has been written primarily for use within the public sector but could also be used by non-government organisations tasked with such processes. The guide may also be useful to researchers when designing research studies, identifying research and information gaps, seeking funding to address research and information gaps, presenting intervention research findings, and identifying opportunities for partnering in evaluation and monitoring efforts when interventions are scaled up.
Increasing the Scale of Population Health Intervention​s:  A Guide


The Intervention Scalability Assessment Tool: A Guide for Assessing the Scalability of Health Interventions

​The Intervention Scalability Assessment Tool (ISAT) is designed to assist practitioners, policy makers, program managers and researchers determine the scalability of a discrete health program or intervention. Though developed for use in population health, the ISAT is adaptable and could be used in other health and human service settings, such as clinical interventions, mental health interventions or even educational interventions.

The Intervention Scalability Assessment Tool: A Guide for Assessing the Scalability of Health Interventions​​

​Commissioning Editorial Services: A Guide

This guide is intended to assist those commissioning editorial services or as a reference document when working with editors. It provides information on: when to commission an editor, scoping editorial need, levels of editing, negotiating an editorial agreement, working with editors, style guides and submission requirements, approving the content of a publication, and designing a publication.

For further information contact:
The Director
Evidence and Evaluation Unit
Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence
NSW Ministry of Health
Ph: (02) 9391 9292
Current as at: Wednesday 16 June 2021