A frame-work to co-ordinate research and preventive action.

We are presenting here an integrated decision-making algorithm for preventive action and research in public health (DAP). We reformulated several of the main stages of the elaboration of a community health programme as sets of questions or decisional nodi which lead to a decisional algorithm. The eight main stages of the DAP are the following: (1) detecting a problem, (2) is the significance of the problem well known?, (3) is our understanding of the problem sufficient for action to be initiated?, (4) defining operational objectives, (5) do we have an action strategy?, (6) are effective means available?, (7) action, (8) evaluation. We have found a place for research in six of the eight stages of the process: stages 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8. Some operational consequences of this categorisation and the place of research at each stage are discussed. We conclude that decision-making as to the relevance of research, must be subject to some degree of social input.