Developing a public health policy-research nexus: An evaluation of Nurse Practitioner models in aged care Brenton Prosser *, Shannon Clark, Rachel Davey, Rhian Parker Centre for Research and Action in Public Health, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT 2606, Australia 1. Introduction The relationship between academic research and public policy is changing. Ever faster news media cycles constrain research input into conventional policy review cycles. Increased emphasis on value for money within taxpayer-funded programs requires evaluations to be more attuned to the efficiency and financial viability of policy initiatives. Growing interest in evidence-based policy in response to complex social problems demands that findings be relevant and more accessible to policy-makers. Together, these trends present new challenges which require new approaches to developing a nexus between research and policy within policy program evaluations. This paper takes up the challenge of developing an evaluation that is based on a theoretical framework through five distinct steps. First, a brief summary of the policy history that underlies the establishment and support of Nurse Practitioners in aged care within Australia is presented. This is followed by an overview of the key objectives for a current evaluation of an Australian Government policy program in this space. Third, the paper details a theoretical approach that expands this evaluation beyond the assessment of program outcomes against objectives through a three-strand conceptual framework that provides a foundation for rigorous analysis. Finally, the evaluation is considered in the light of literature considering the development of a research-policy nexus in health. Due to this focus on describing an evaluation approach that responds to research-policy challenges identified in the literature, a detailed examination of the findings of the evaluation in relation to accessibility of health services and clinical practice is necessarily beyond the scope of this paper. However, what the paper does usefully present is an evaluation approach as an example of a careful synthesis of often conflicting policy and research priorities, while providing sufficient detail for the approach to be considered for use by others conducting public health policy evaluations. 2. Nurse Practitioners in aged care: the Australian policy context Before considering the conceptual framework of this evaluation approach, it is important to take a moment to define the Nurse Practitioner role, as it differs between nations (Sibbald, Laurant, & Reeves 2006). In Australia, the role of Nurse Practitioner (NP) is defined as a Registered Nurse who is educated at Masters level and Evaluation and Program Planning 40 (2013) 55–63 A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received 29 October 2012 Received in revised form 10 May 2013 Accepted 27 May 2013 Keywords: Research-policy nexus Policy evaluation Public health Nurse Practitioner A B S T R A C T A frustration often expressed by researchers and policy-makers in public health is an apparent mismatch between respective priorities and expectations for research. Academics bemoan an oversimplification of their work, a reticence for independent critique and the constant pressure to pursue evaluation funding. Meanwhile, policy-makers look for research reports written in plain language with clear application, which are attuned to current policy settings and produced quickly. In a context where there are calls in western nations for evidence based policy with stronger links to academic research, such a mismatch can present significant challenges to policy program evaluation. The purpose of this paper is to present one attempt to overcome these challenges. Specifically, the paper describes the development of a conceptual framework for a large-scale, multifaceted evaluation of an Australian Government health initiative to expand Nurse Practitioner models of practice in aged care service delivery. In doing so, the paper provides a brief review of key points for the facilitation of a strong research-policy nexus in public health evaluations, as well as describes how this particular evaluation embodies these key points. As such, the paper presents an evaluation approach which may be adopted and adapted by others undertaking public health policy program evaluations. ß 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author at: c/- Centre for Research and Action in Public Health, Building 22, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT 2606, Australia. Tel.: +61 2 62012914. E-mail address: Brenton.Prosser@canberra.edu.au (B. Prosser). Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Evaluation and Program Planning jo ur n al ho m ep ag e: www .els evier .c om /lo cat e/evalp r og p lan 0149-7189/$ – see front matter ß 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2013.05.003