{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T13:05:31Z","timestamp":1791551131786,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,12]],"date-time":"2025-05-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1747008000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Wellspring Philanthropies","award":["17737"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["17737"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosglobalpublichealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Glob Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Widespread failure to sufficiently account for disability in policies and programming across sectors limits the inclusion of people with disabilities in global health and development strategies. These oversights are especially marked in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 80% of the world\u2019s 1.3 billion people with disabilities reside. To bridge disability policy and programming gaps, it is important to first understand how key categories of decision-makers think about disability in their work, including which sources of evidence, processes, and pathways they rely on to make policy and programming decisions about disability, and what influences (aside from evidence) shape their decision-making. To address these issues, we conducted a scoping review of the literature concerning the use of evidence in governmental and non-governmental decision-making around disability-inclusion in LMICs. We systematically searched databases of peer-reviewed literature and used thorough hand searches to gather grey literature. Documents were eligible if they focused on key governmental and non-governmental stakeholders; disability-inclusive or disability-related decision-making in mainstream or targeted planning, policy-making, programming, or evaluations; and were based on data from LMICs. All literature was double screened and extracted according to a standardised extraction sheet by four reviewers, working in pairs. We included 16 papers, with sources of evidence cited being highly variable and encompassing both empirical and experiential evidence, while barriers and facilitators to using evidence varied by evidence source. Outside of evidence, notable influences on decision-making included government legislation, power dynamics and involvement, stakeholder relationships, the local landscape, funding, and attitudes towards disability. This work highlights the barriers to, and enablers of, evidence utilisation in relation to disability, which can be targeted with intervention and advocacy. Moreover, this review suggests that supporting evidence-based decision-making in relation to disability in LMICs necessitates engagement with varied framings of evidence and influences on decision-making outside of evidence.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0004555","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,12]],"date-time":"2025-05-12T17:36:14Z","timestamp":1747071374000},"page":"e0004555","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Sources of evidence, pathways, and processes to support disability-inclusive decision-making in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7956-2898","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ebruphiyo Ruth","family":"Useh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zara","family":"Trafford","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Prince","family":"Changole","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xanthe","family":"Hunt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref001","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2022"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0004555.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.1332\/174426421X16147909420727","article-title":"The many faces of disability in evidence for policy and practice: embracing complexity","volume":"17","author":"C Rivas","year":"2021","journal-title":"Evidence & Policy"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref003","article-title":"Evidence and gap map of studies assessing the effectiveness of interventions for people with disabilities in low-and middle-income countries","volume-title":"Campbell Systematic Reviews","author":"A Saran","year":"2020"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref004","author":"H White","year":"2012"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.17159\/sajs.2023\/15447","article-title":"Science for social justice: thinking more broadly about inclusion","volume":"119","author":"L Swartz","year":"2023","journal-title":"S Afr J Sci"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004555.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s41256-020-00142-7","article-title":"What is global health? key concepts and clarification of misperceptions: report of the 2019 ghrp editorial meeting","volume":"5","author":"X Chen","year":"2020","journal-title":"Glob Health Res Policy"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref007","article-title":"Towards an agenda of action and research for making health systems responsive to the needs of people with disabilities","author":"T Nguyen","year":"2024","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref008","author":"United Nations","year":"2007"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0177306","article-title":"Taking stock of the social determinants of health: a scoping review","volume":"12","author":"K Lucyk","year":"2017","journal-title":"PLoS ONE"},{"issue":"5","key":"pgph.0004555.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0003000","article-title":"Drivers of success in global health outcomes: a content analysis of exemplar studies","volume":"4","author":"N Akseer","year":"2024","journal-title":"PLOS Glob Public Health"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.17226\/24624","volume-title":"Communities in action: pathways to health equity","author":"JN Weinstein","year":"2017"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12939-023-02035-w","article-title":"Health equity for persons with disabilities: a global scoping review on barriers and interventions in healthcare services","volume":"22","author":"M Gr\u00e9aux","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Equity Health"},{"issue":"5","key":"pgph.0004555.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"832","DOI":"10.1108\/00251741211227546","article-title":"Toward a theory of evidence based decision making","volume":"50","author":"VV Baba","year":"2012","journal-title":"Management Decision"},{"issue":"10","key":"pgph.0004555.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1539","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2009.08.006","article-title":"Evidence-based policy-making: the implications of globally-applicable research for context-specific problem-solving in developing countries","volume":"69","author":"D Behague","year":"2009","journal-title":"Soc Sci Med"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref015","author":"G Umbach","year":"2018"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.4324\/9781003007043-2","article-title":"An introduction to evidence-informed policy and practice in Africa.","volume-title":"Using evidence in policy and practice","author":"I Goldman","year":"2020"},{"issue":"10","key":"pgph.0004555.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1925","DOI":"10.1016\/S0277-9536(03)00058-3","article-title":"Strengthening capacity in developing countries for evidence-based public health: the data for decision-making project","volume":"57","author":"M Pappaioanou","year":"2003","journal-title":"Soc Sci Med"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref018","article-title":"Determinants of data use for programmatic evidence-based decision making at peripheral public health care centres in Haryana, India","volume":"29","author":"R Sahota","year":"2024","journal-title":"Clin Epidemiol Glob Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004555.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"28","DOI":"10.1057\/s42214-020-00054-w","article-title":"Evidence-based policymaking and the wicked problem of SDG 5 gender equality","volume":"4","author":"L Eden","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Int Bus Policy"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref020","author":"United Nations","year":"2006"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref021","author":"Division for Social Policy Development (DSPD), Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)","year":"2017"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref022","article-title":"Persons with disabilities as an unrecognized health disparity population","volume":"2","author":"GL Krahn","year":"2015","journal-title":"Am J Public Health Suppl"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0004555.ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.5463\/dcid.v28i2.615","article-title":"Access to services and barriers faced by people with disabilities: a quantitative survey","volume":"28","author":"N Grills","year":"2017","journal-title":"DCID"},{"issue":"0","key":"pgph.0004555.ref024","first-page":"512","article-title":"Disability prevalence-context matters: A descriptive community-based survey","volume":"8","author":"S Maart","year":"2019","journal-title":"Afr J Disabil"},{"issue":"4","key":"pgph.0004555.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"367","DOI":"10.2340\/16501977-2276","article-title":"Challenges and barriers for implementation of the World Health Organization global disability action plan in low- and middle- income countries","volume":"50","author":"F Khan","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Rehabil Med"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0189996","article-title":"Poverty and disability in low-and middle income countries: a systematic review","volume":"12","author":"LM Banks","year":"2017","journal-title":"PLoS ONE"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref027","author":"S Mitra","year":"2021"},{"issue":"3","key":"pgph.0004555.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"317","DOI":"10.1080\/02589001.2022.2066636","article-title":"On power and policy in post-colonial Africa: an introduction","volume":"40","author":"T Powers","year":"2022","journal-title":"Journal of Contemporary African Studies"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref029","author":"S Allin","year":"2004"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref030","author":"C Hoag","year":"2017"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0004555.ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"113","DOI":"10.1515\/ngs-2015-0020","article-title":"Global south and north: why informality matters","volume":"10","author":"R Hodder","year":"2016","journal-title":"New Global Studies"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4324\/9781351297523","volume-title":"Emotional bureaucracyAvailable from","author":"R Hodder","year":"2017"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0004555.ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"361","DOI":"10.1080\/00856401.2014.909348","article-title":"Government of paper. the materiality of bureaucracy in urban Pakistan","volume":"37","author":"K Illmann","year":"2014","journal-title":"South Asia: J South Asian Studies"},{"issue":"5","key":"pgph.0004555.ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"561","DOI":"10.4300\/JGME-D-22-00620.1","article-title":"An introduction to scoping reviews","volume":"14","author":"S Mak","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Grad Med Educ"},{"issue":"3","key":"pgph.0004555.ref035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"93","DOI":"10.1016\/j.afjem.2017.08.001","article-title":"A hands-on guide to doing content analysis","volume":"7","author":"C Erlingsson","year":"2017","journal-title":"Afr J Emerg Med"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref036","article-title":"Evidence-based policy-making (EBPM): enhancing the use of evidence and knowledge in policy making","author":"P Davies","year":"2011","journal-title":"PSPPD Policy Brief 1"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref037","volume-title":"The politics of evidence-based policy making","author":"P Cairney","year":"2016"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref038","author":"P Grimes","year":"2021"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004555.ref039","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-021-06116-w","article-title":"A policy analysis of the national phenylketonuria screening program in Iran","volume":"21","author":"A Heidari","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref040","author":"International Disability Alliance","year":"2017"},{"issue":"11","key":"pgph.0004555.ref041","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1796","DOI":"10.1080\/09638288.2022.2074551","article-title":"Coordination of health and rehabilitation services for person with disabilities in Sierra Leone - a stakeholders\u2019 perspective","volume":"45","author":"V Jerwanska","year":"2023","journal-title":"Disabil Rehabil"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref042","author":"C Liechtenstein","year":"2022"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0004555.ref043","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"185","DOI":"10.1057\/jphp.2013.40","article-title":"Securing support for eye health policy in low- and middle-income countries: identifying stakeholders through a multi-level analysis","volume":"35","author":"P Morone","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Public Health Policy"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004555.ref044","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12939-023-01896-5","article-title":"Prioritizing rehabilitation in low- and middle-income country national health systems: a qualitative thematic synthesis and development of a policy framework","volume":"22","author":"R Neill","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Equity Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004555.ref045","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12939-021-01463-w","article-title":"Are Nepal\u2019s water, sanitation and hygiene and menstrual hygiene policies and supporting documents inclusive of disability? A policy analysis","volume":"20","author":"J Wilbur","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Equity Health"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref046","first-page":"10","article-title":"Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities: Qualitative exploration of barriers to the implementation of articles 25 (health) and 26 (rehabilitation) in Iran","volume":"35","author":"Z Najafi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Med J Islam Repub Iran"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref047","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2020.00496","article-title":"Disability focal point persons and policy implementation across sectors: a qualitative examination of stakeholder perspectives in zambia","volume":"8","author":"S Cleaver","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"issue":"9","key":"pgph.0004555.ref048","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1086","DOI":"10.1093\/heapol\/czac051","article-title":"The national health policy for people with disabilities in Brazil: an analysis of the content, context and the performance of social actors","volume":"37","author":"TM Lyra","year":"2022","journal-title":"Health Policy Plan"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004555.ref049","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-020-05447-4","article-title":"Financing of physical rehabilitation services in Iran: a stakeholder and social network analysis","volume":"20","author":"S Shahabi","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004555.ref050","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110","DOI":"10.1080\/03057925.2020.1745057","article-title":"Barriers to inclusive education in Tanzania\u2019s policy environment: national policy actors\u2019 perspectives","volume":"52","author":"AMB Braun","year":"2020","journal-title":"Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education"},{"issue":"10","key":"pgph.0004555.ref051","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1596","DOI":"10.1080\/09687599.2019.1702505","article-title":"The policy transfer of community-based rehabilitation in Gulu, Uganda","volume":"35","author":"C Brydges","year":"2020","journal-title":"Disabil Soc"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004555.ref052","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.1177\/13623613221142111","article-title":"\u2018We are doing damage control\u2019: government stakeholder perspectives of educational and other services for children with autism spectrum disorder in South Africa","volume":"28","author":"S Pillay","year":"2024","journal-title":"Autism"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004555.ref053","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.17159\/2310-3833\/2022\/vol52n01a3","article-title":"Exploring the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in Namibia. Perspectives of policymakers and implementers","volume":"52","author":"G Chibaya","year":"2022","journal-title":"SAJOT"},{"issue":"10","key":"pgph.0004555.ref054","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2165","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph15102165","article-title":"A Systematic review of access to rehabilitation for people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries","volume":"15","author":"T Bright","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"3","key":"pgph.0004555.ref055","first-page":"384","article-title":"Strengthening health information systems for disability-related rehabilitation in LMICs","volume":"32","author":"A McPherson","year":"2017","journal-title":"Health Policy Plan"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref056","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/acrefore\/9780190228637.013.268","volume-title":"The Politics of Evidence-Based Policy Making","author":"P Cairney","year":"2017"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0004555.ref057","first-page":"67","article-title":"Promoting intersectoral collaboration through the evaluations of public health interventions: insights from key informants in 6 European countries","volume":"10","author":"S Kriegner","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Health Policy Manag"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref058","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2012"},{"key":"pgph.0004555.ref059","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4324\/9781315127767","volume-title":"Public Policy and Program Evaluation","author":"E Vedung","year":"2017"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0004555.ref060","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjgh-2016-000224","article-title":"Everyday resilience in district health systems: emerging insights from the front lines in Kenya and South Africa","volume":"2","author":"L Gilson","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMJ Glob Health"}],"container-title":["PLOS Global Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0004555","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,12]],"date-time":"2025-05-12T17:36:32Z","timestamp":1747071392000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0004555"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Lavanya","family":"Vijayasingham","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,12]]},"references-count":60,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,12]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0004555","relation":{},"ISSN":["2767-3375"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2767-3375","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,12]]}}}