Competencies for Legal Evaluation Studies

Key points

The Legal Epidemiology Competency Model includes three major domains: 1) general legal epidemiology competencies, 2) legal mapping, and 3) legal evaluation. Domain 3 focuses on legal evaluation including designing projects that study potential associations between health and law.

Figure 1—Domain 3: Competencies for Legal Evaluation Studies

Domain 3: Competencies for Legal Evaluation Studies
Competency Statement 1

Identify opportunities for a  legal evaluation study to address existing legal, health, or other issues

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

3.1.1a: Identify legal evaluation needs on the basis of gaps in existing evidence (literature, legal data, and other evidence) 3.1.2a: Assess the utility of legal evaluation strategies to address identified gaps 3.1.3a: Gather support for legal evaluation from internal and external stakeholders in the field
3.1.1b: Identify data sources and analytical tools relevant to studying research priorities 3.1.2b: Determine the relevance of interventional, infrastructural, or intersectional laws to the identified research priorities 3.1.3b: Establish research priorities on the basis of the potential for improving population health, socioeconomic or cultural disparities, and the public health system
3.1.1c: Determine prerequisites for study development (e.g., legal mapping datasets, needs for particular expertise) 3.1.2c: Identify resources in light of the need and the feasibility of the research, including extramural funding and staff and stakeholder involvement 3.1.3c: Obtain and allocate resources for conducting a legal evaluation
Competency Statement 2

Design a legal evaluation to study potential associations between law and health

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

3.2.1a: Propose options for a research plan incorporating legal evaluation theory 3.2.2a: Operationalize key constructs and concepts in a draft legal evaluation research plan 3.2.3a: Finalize the research plan, including engagement with potentially underrepresented or underprivileged populations
3.2.1b: Identify legal evaluation study designs with proximal and distal impacts of law 3.2.2b: Develop a logic model incorporating proposed legal evaluation study designs to inform the legal evaluation research plan 3.2.3b: Finalize a logic model, incorporating the mechanisms through which the law can deter, encourage, or compel health-related behaviors
3.2.1c: Follow legal and ethical principles in designing the study 3.2.2c: Secure approvals for the legal evaluation 3.2.3c: Develop a fiscally sound budget that will support the activities defined in the research plan and that is consistent with financial and ethical rules
Competency Statement 3

Collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative study data using generally  accepted research methodologies

 

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

3.3.1a: Collect data relevant to an issue and appropriately document the process 3.3.2a: Develop a quality control plan to standardize analytic codes and outputs 3.3.3a: Determine deadlines and quality targets for analyses
3.3.1b: Collaborate with team members to review initial results 3.3.2b: Ensure reliability and adherence to methodology in the collection and management of data 3.3.3b: Monitor the legal evaluation progress within budget and resource limitations
3.3.1c: Ensure validity and reliability of the data
3.3.1d: Address principles of epidemiology and informatics in data collection and analysis 3.3.2c: Apply standardized population categories or variables to data analysis 3.3.3c: Analyze research results using institutional knowledge and experience on the topic, as well as general knowledge of legal principles
Competency Statement 4

Interpret results, draw conclusions, and formulate key findings toward the improvement of public health

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

3.4.1a: Identify key findings and limitations from the data collection and analysis 3.4.2a: Make recommendations for the interpretation of data, including, but not limited to, authority, credibility, currency, and authenticity 3.4.3a: Confirm findings according to geographic, socioeconomic, political, or cultural factors identified through stakeholder engagement
3.4.1b: Describe patterns or trends in data across sources 3.4.2b: Interpret point estimates and confidence intervals of measures of central tendency and dispersion, disease or event frequency, and measures of association and impact