Public Deliberation: What is it and why do it?

ABSTRACT
This new Academy report explores the process and value of engaging community members in discussions about health-related decisions being considered in their neighborhood. The authors explain how public deliberation gives a broad range of people in a community an opportunity to articulate their values, attitudes and perceptions related to the topic in question, with an emphasis on including everyone, but especially those who can bring the perspectives of medically underserved populations. 

For a detailed example and the results of a specific public deliberation, see the study: "Community Priorities for Hospital-Based Prevention Initiatives: Results From a Deliberating Public," published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

Learn more about why and how public deliberation works.