Sociology Librarian
What is Health Policy?
Health policy refers to decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society. An explicit health policy can achieve several things: it defines a vision for the future which in turn helps to establish targets and points of reference for the short and medium term. It outlines priorities and the expected roles of different groups; and it builds consensus and informs people. Source: World Health Organization
Health policy is often described as consisting of a "big P" and a "small p." "Big P" are formal laws and regulations enacted by elected officials. "Small p" are internal agency decisions or memorandum, organizational guidelines, or social norms guiding behavior. Source: Eyler, A. A., Chriqui, J. F., Moreland-Russell, S., & Brownson, R. C. (Eds.). (2016). Prevention, policy, and public health. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
There are many ways to locate policies, and how you find them will depend on the region/county/state you are researching.
I recommend using the following strategies:
- Using the "site:" filter in an online search to search through .gov webpages or local government sites.
- Searching for news about recent policy changes (often they will link you to the policy document)
- Search for through scholarly literature (e.g., journal articles) to locate names of policies that you can then search for. Try using one of the databases below.
Databases
- Policy File Index This link opens in a new windowPolicy File Index is a unique resource for U.S. public policy research. Users are able to access timely, updated information from over 350 public policy think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, university centers, advocacy groups, and other entities.
- Public Health Archives: Public Health in Modern America, 1890-1970 This link opens in a new windowPublic Health in Modern America, 1890-1970 examines the history of public health and the policy debates that ensued in the delivery of services at the national, state, and local levels during pivotal times in history. The collection includes unpublished reports, correspondence, ephemera, pamphlets, grey literature, and more. The collection is relevant to research in the fields of American history, American studies, health policy, history of science, medical history, public health studies, sociology, political science, psychology, health care, health systems, and economics.
- PubMed This link opens in a new windowA service of the National Library of Medicine, including over 15 million citations for biomedical articles from MEDLINE and additional life science journals. PubMed includes links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources.
- FDsys - Government Publications This link opens in a new windowThe Government Printing Office's Federal Digital System (FDsys) is an advanced digital system that enables GPO to manage Government information from all three branches of the U.S. Government.
- CINAHL Plus with Full Text This link opens in a new windowContains indexing for 3,123 journals from the fields of nursing and allied health. Includes full text for about 560 journals. Coverage begins with 1937.
- Social Science Premium Collection This link opens in a new windowThis collection provides access to databases covering international literature in social sciences, including politics, public policy, sociology, social work, anthropology, criminology, linguistics, library science, and education. Featured databases include IBSS, Sociological Abstracts and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Together, they provide abstracts, indexing and full-text coverage of journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, and more.
Websites
- State Legislature WebsitesSelect the state you are researching to find their laws and current legislation.
- Open StatesAggregates data from all 50 states. Research and track bills, review voting records, contact elected officials and more.
- Policy Surveillance Program by LawAtlasProvides access to reliable information about laws and policies that influence the public’s health. Can help policy-makers, advocates and researchers understand what the laws are on a given topic, know how the laws differ over time and across jurisdictions, and provides data so they may evaluate their impact.
- National Academy for State Health PolicyThe National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is an independent academy of state health policymakers.
- National Organization Policy ResourcesA list of national organizations that offer policy information on the public health system.
- Health AffairsHealth Affairs is the leading journal of health policy thought and research. Request articles from this journal through IDS.
- Federal Office of Rural Health PolicyFocuses on on health care issues impacting rural communities, including: Access to quality health care and health professionals; Viability of rural hospitals; and Effect of the Department’s proposed rules and regulations, including Medicare and Medicaid, on access to and financing of health care in rural areas.
