How to Write a Health Policy Brief Shale L. Wong, MD, MSPH, and Larry A. Green, MD University of Colorado School of Medicine Andrew W. Bazemore, MD, MPH Robert Graham Policy Center, Washington, DC Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD University of Colorado School of Medicine Although many health care professionals are interested in health policy, relatively few have training in how to utilize their clinical experience and scientific knowledge to impact policy. Developing a policy brief is one approach that health professionals may use to draw attention to important evidence that relates to policy. This article offers guidance on how to write a policy brief by outlining 4 steps: (a) define the problem, (b) state the policy, (c) make your case, and (d) discuss the impact. The steps and tips offer a starting point for health care professionals interested in health policy and translating research or clinical experience to impact policy. Keywords: health policy, policy brief, healthcare In today’s practice of medicine, clinicians, researchers and health professionals are fre- quently interested in health policy and seek opportunities to weigh in on issues where they may be both well-informed and well-positioned to take action. However, traditional training of health professionals does not prepare us to con- sider or discuss our work for the purpose of impacting policy. Understanding some basic guidance for translating unique clinical experi- ence or scientific knowledge into policy terms, is the first step toward developing a policy lens. A well-written policy brief has a clear and spe- cific purpose and assumes the author’s under- standing of what it is, and what it is not, as well as clearly targeting the audience for whom it is intended. Writing a brief, while conceptually straightforward, may be challenging to initiate or compose. We offer an approach to preparing a policy brief, aiming to provide a point of departure for individuals in the health profes- sions who seek a starting place. If policy may broadly be considered movement in a direction for a reason, a policy brief would in turn be a focused discussion of an action to achieve intentional and purposeful movement. This discussion should include the best available data or evidence to support a devised policy or range of policy options, and a narrative analysis that considers the impact of a proposed policy. As important as it is to know what constitutes a policy brief, it is important to recognize what a policy brief is not. A policy brief is not equivalent to an advocacy statement and while it may inform or motivate action, it should refrain from advocating a singular call to action. Nor is it an opinion piece that could suggest implications beyond parameters defined by the supportive evidence. A policy brief is analytic in nature and allows the author to remain objective even if the evi- dence appears persuasive. Furthermore, a brief is by definition, brief, which often presents the greatest challenge to an author who must share the specific purpose while limiting the compre- This article was published Online First December 1, 2016. Shale L. Wong, MD, MSPH, Department of Pediatric, Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Larry A. Green, MD, De- partment of Family Medicine, Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Andrew W. Bazemore, MD, MPH, Robert Graham Policy Center, Washington, DC; Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD, De- partment of Family Medicine, Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center, University of Colorado School of Medicine. Correspondence concerning this article should be ad- dressed to Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD, Department of Family Medicine, Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center, Uni- versity of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 East 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045. E-mail: benjamin.miller@ ucdenver.edu Families, Systems, & Health © 2016 American Psychological Association 2017, Vol. 35, No. 1, 21–24 1091-7527/17/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000238 21