Governing Evidence in Contentious Times: A GUARD Framework for Public Health Leadership

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Public health leadership confronts escalating inequities, inconsistent life expectancy, and pervasive information disorder.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted that decision-making failures often arise from poor evidence utilization, not insufficient data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reframe public health challenges as an evidence governance issue.
• To introduce the GUARD framework for practical evidence governance in public health.

Main Methods:

• The commentary introduces the GUARD framework: Govern in public, User power-sharing, Architect and audit integrity, Resist manipulation of meaning, and Demonstrate legitimacy.
• This framework operationalizes existing principles into actionable governance routines.

Main Results:

• The GUARD framework provides a practical approach for public health leaders.
• It aims to strengthen legitimacy, mitigate inequities, and maintain trustworthiness amidst uncertainty.

Conclusions:

• Effective evidence governance is crucial for navigating complex public health challenges.
• The GUARD framework offers a tangible pathway for improving evidence-informed public health action and accountability.