Discussion 1: Evidence Base in DesignWhen politics and medical science intersect, there can be much debate. Sometimes anecdotes or hearsay are misused as evidence to support a particular point. Despite these and other challenges, however, evidence-based approaches are increasingly used to inform health policy decision-making regarding causes of disease, intervention strategies, and issues impacting society. One example is the introduction of childhood vaccinations and the use of evidence-based arguments surrounding their safety.In this Discussion, you will identify a recently proposed health policy and share your analysis of the evidence in support of this policy.To Prepare:Review the Congress website provided in the Resources and identify one recent (within the past 5 years) proposed health policy.Review the health policy you identified and reflect on the background and development of this health policy.By Day 3 of Week 7Post a description of the health policy you selected and a brief background for the problem or issue being addressed. Explain whether you believe there is an evidence base to support the proposed policy and explain why. Be specific and provide examples.By Day 6 of Week 7Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days by either supporting or respectfully challenging their explanation on whether there is an evidence base to support the proposed health policy they described.*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.Submission and Grading InformationGrading CriteriaTo access your rubric:Week 7 Discussion RubricPost by Day 3 and Respond by Day 6 of Week 7To participate in this Discussion:Week 7 Discussion

Discussion Prompt 1: Some people prefer seeing data results in graphs, and others prefer seeing data in tables. Which do you prefer and why? Discussion Prompt 2: Complete the Media Report Graph Game (all three options: Junk food, Music, Cost of petrol) located in the Week 6 Supplemental Resources. You can also access the game at: https://www3.stats.govt.nz/games/Media-report-1/index.html. Once completed: Discuss what you have learned about the perception of graphs and tables in the media, and how it can be manipulated. Find an example of a graph in the media that you think is skewed to achieve a particular spin on the subject being reported. Provide the link to the example you found. Explain why the example is not accurate, and what can be done to "fix" it. Discussion Prompt 3:Why do you think so many hospital/healthcare administrators have difficulty understanding statistical methods used in healthcare research?