Academic Collaborative Centre for Public Health Brabant, Tranzo, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Tilburg, Tilburg, The Netherlands; Regional Health Service (GGD) Hart voor Brabant, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands; Trimbos Institute, the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Academic Collaborative Centre for Public Health Brabant, Tranzo, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Tilburg, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Public Health. 2014 Jun;128(6):504-14. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2014.04.002. Epub 2014 Jun 10.
Concept mapping is a method for developing a conceptual framework of a complex topic for use as a guide to evaluation or planning. In concept mapping, thoughts and ideas are represented in the form of a picture or map, the content of which is determined by a group of stakeholders. This study aimed to explore the suitability of this method as a tool to integrate practical knowledge with scientific knowledge in order to improve theory development as a sound basis for practical decision-making.
Following a short introduction to the method of concept mapping, five Dutch studies, serving different purposes and fields in public health, will be described. The aim of these studies was: to construct a theoretical framework for good regional public health reporting; to design an implementation strategy for a guideline for integral local health policy; to guide the evaluation of a local integral approach of overweight and obesity in youth; to guide the construction of a questionnaire to measure the quality of postdisaster psychosocial care; and to conceptualize an integral base for formulation of ambitions and targets for the new youth healthcare programme of a regional health service.
The studies showed that concept mapping is a way to integrate practical and scientific knowledge with careful selection of participants that represent the different perspectives. Theory development can be improved through concept mapping; not by formulating new theories, but by highlighting the key issues and defining perceived relationships between topics. In four of the five studies, the resulting concept map was received as a sound basis for practical decision-making.
Concept mapping is a valuable method for evidence-based public health policy, and a powerful instrument for facilitating dialogue, coherence and collaboration between researchers, practitioners, policy makers and the public. Development of public health theory was realized by a step-by-step approach, considering both scientific and practical knowledge. However, the external validity of the concept maps in place and time is of importance.
概念图是一种为评估或规划而开发复杂主题概念框架的方法。在概念图中，思想和理念以图片或地图的形式呈现，其内容由一组利益相关者确定。本研究旨在探索该方法作为一种工具的适用性，即将实践知识与科学知识相结合，以改进理论发展，为实际决策提供坚实基础。
在简要介绍概念图方法之后，将描述五个荷兰研究，这些研究在公共卫生的不同目的和领域中具有不同的用途。这些研究的目的是：构建良好的区域公共卫生报告的理论框架；设计整体地方卫生政策指南的实施策略；指导对青少年超重和肥胖的地方综合方法的评估；指导用于测量灾后心理社会护理质量的问卷的构建；以及概念化新的区域卫生服务青少年保健计划的抱负和目标的综合基础。
这些研究表明，概念图是一种将实践知识和科学知识与精心选择的代表不同观点的参与者结合起来的方法。通过概念图可以改进理论发展；不是通过制定新理论，而是通过突出关键问题并定义主题之间的感知关系。在五项研究中的四项中，所得到的概念图被认为是实际决策的合理基础。
概念图是循证公共卫生政策的有价值方法，也是促进研究人员、从业者、政策制定者和公众之间对话、一致性和合作的有力工具。通过考虑科学知识和实践知识，逐步发展公共卫生理论。然而，概念图在特定时间和地点的外部有效性很重要。
