Speakers
Description
Authors: Djoeke van Dalen (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), Elke Hackländer (Federal Institute of Public Health (BIÖG)), Marika Kylänen (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)), Yvette Shajanian Zarneh (Federal Institute of Public Health (BIÖG)) Katarzyna Lewtak (National Institute of Public Health (PZH)), Laetitia Gouffé-Benadiba (Santé publique France)
Chair: Yvette Shajanian Zarneh
Presenter/Corresponding author: Yvette Shajanian Zarneh
What if decision-makers had immediate access to interventions that are proven to work—clearly assessed, policy-relevant, and ready to implement? Best practice portals promise exactly that. Yet, in reality, their transformative potential often goes untapped.
As health systems across Europe confront rising chronic disease burdens and limited resources, structured access to practice-based evidence is more essential than ever. Best practice portals—or programme registers—are designed to collect, evaluate, and disseminate proven public health interventions. When aligned with policymaker needs, they enable more strategic, evidence-informed investments. Yet, many portals remain fragmented, poorly promoted, or disconnected from national strategies and funding processes. The result: limited visibility, reduced uptake, and missed opportunities for impact.
To address this gap, seven countries have come together through the EuroHealthNet Thematic Working Group on Best Practice Portals. Their aim: to identify what works, share lessons, and strengthen the role of portals in shaping public health policy and funding. Insights from this collaboration are now informing key initiatives, including the Joint Action PreventNCD, Joint Action MENTOR and activities under the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
This interactive workshop presents the core findings from this European knowledge exchange. Through real-world examples and structured dialogue, it explores how national and European portals can evolve into more user-centred, strategically integrated, and politically visible tools for advancing public health and health equity.
Objectives
Participants will:
• Understand how best practice portals can support more effective public health investment through evidence-informed decision-making
• Learn about ongoing efforts to harmonize criteria and enhance comparability across countries
• Explore how portals can be embedded into national strategies, and linked to funding instruments and EU-level initiatives.
Key messages
• Best practice portals are critical policy tools—when they are visible, accessible, and aligned with policy priorities
• European cooperation is essential to unlock their full transformative potential
ABSTRACT 1
Making Best Practice Portals Attractive to Policymakers
Marika Kylänen (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL))
Background: Best practice portals can play a critical role in strengthening evidence-informed policymaking. However, to reach this potential, portals must meet the practical needs of decision-makers. Finland’s new Best Practice Portal (FBPP), developed since 2019, aims to do exactly that by offering structured, accessible, and comparable information on evidence-based practices (EBPs).
Methods: Supported by the Finnish Government and NextGenerationEU (RRF), FBPP combines three core components:
a) A digital editorial system enabling scientific peer review based on standardized criteria.
b) Published evaluation reports in the Practices in Health Promotion series (ISSN 2737-2936).
c) A search and comparison service with tables, graphics, and maps to help users compare the effectiveness of EBPs.
Results: Launching officially at the European Public Health Conference 2025 in Helsinki, FBPP provides policymakers and practitioners with a user-friendly, scientifically validated tool. Its comparative features support strategic decision-making by highlighting the relative impact of different interventions, making it easier to allocate limited resources to the most effective practices.
Discussion: The Finnish experience demonstrates how portals can move beyond static repositories to become strategic decision-support tools. Key success factors include government backing, integration of peer-reviewed content, and a user-oriented comparison system. Future challenges include ensuring long-term sustainability and promoting active use by policymakers at national and regional levels.
ABSTRACT 2
Linking Funding to the Use of Evidence-Based Practices – Experiences from the Netherlands and France
Djoeke van Dalen (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment)
Background: To achieve real-world impact, best practice portals must be linked to mechanisms that encourage or require their use. Both the Netherlands and France have developed funding strategies that promote the implementation of interventions listed in their national portals.
Methods: The Dutch portal Loketgezondleven.nl has been in place for 17 years and benefits from strong government backing. Schools, for example, receive funding to implement validated practices from the portal, increasing both uptake and submissions of new practices. In France, Santé publique France manages ReperPrev, a portal linked to regional funding through the 18 Regional Health Agencies. This legal framework ties funding to recognized interventions, creating strong incentives for submission and use.
Results: The Dutch school funding model has proven to be an effective strategy for scaling up good and best practices. In France, ReperPrev has gained visibility, but challenges remain. Not all requested programs can be registered, and scientific integrity must be safeguarded against financial pressures. Both models illustrate that linking portals to funding increases relevance but requires careful governance to balance scientific independence and policy demands.
Discussion: These examples show that financial incentives can drive the adoption of evidence-based practices. However, they also highlight the need for transparent criteria, independent scientific review, and ongoing dialogue with policymakers and practitioners to ensure that funding mechanisms enhance rather than compromise the quality and integrity of prevention efforts.
ABSTRACT 3
Towards Greater Impact – Strengthening Visibility and Alignment of European Best Practice Portals
Elke Hackländer (Federal Institute of Public Health (BIÖG))
Background: Despite growing investments in national best practice portals, the lack of shared definitions, criteria, and structures across Europe limits their strategic value. Professionals face challenges when searching for comparable information on effective interventions across countries.
Methods: Germany and Poland are leading efforts to improve visibility and comparability. Germany’s Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG) is piloting a web-based "portal of portals" under the Joint Action PreventNCD. This tool provides structured access to national portals, supported by harmonized comparison criteria developed through expert dialogue and a pretest survey. In parallel, Poland’s National Institute of Public Health (PZH-PIB) is using its EU Presidency to promote political uptake of best practices by translating them into actionable policy recommendations.
Results: Germany’s pilot demonstrates how cross-country comparability can be improved through uniform criteria and structured digital access. Poland’s EU Presidency efforts show how increased political visibility can elevate best practice use at national and EU levels. Together, these approaches build momentum for more coordinated, evidence-informed public health strategies across Europe.
Discussion: Aligning definitions, criteria, and governance structures is essential for maximizing the value of best practice portals. Increased political commitment and user-friendly digital tools can help bridge the gap between national repositories and European-level decision-making, fostering equity-oriented health promotion and disease prevention.
| Conflict of interest | The authors declare no conflict of interest. |
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