Thank you Rhoda and Nonvicks for this rich pushback — you both moved my thinking forward.Rhoda, thank you for naming the fault line so clearly. I agree: frontline observation becomes evidence the moment we design it to be traceable —…

@Charles Frontline observations must be treated as formal sentinel data, not mere anecdote. Lived experience legitimately triggers revalidation when field teams see recurring patterns across districts, when workers must rely on operational workarounds, or when structural conditions like cash-transfer policies or…

@Charles Bawate you\'ve put your finger on the fault line that runs through most evidence systems: frontline observation is treated as anecdote precisely because it arrives informally, not because it\'s weak. My view is that lived experience should count as…

Colleagues,

Hello, I am Alphoncina Kagaigai, working with Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania. My research interest revolves around health economics, especially in health financing and economic evaluation. 

@Charles Bawate Bawate, \"a conflict is a signal to investigate\" moves the question off \"who wins\" entirely, I like that.But on the low-risk case: \"low risk\" and \"small scale\" are usually decided by the same people who already judged the…

Thank you, Rhoda and Dr. Magoba, for these thoughtful contributions.   Rhoda, \"sequenced, not weighed against each other\" is a helpful way to put it, and your example about the schedule clashing with informal work hours shows why listening comes…

Thank you, Rhoda and Dr. Magoba, for these thoughtful contributions.   Rhoda, \"sequenced, not weighed against each other\" is a helpful way to put it, and your example about the schedule clashing with informal work hours shows why listening comes…

Thank you @Dr.Magoba. Your TB example is very close to what we see in addiction recovery: stigma and fear delay people seeking care, and the data alone don\'t show why. \"Then evaluate outcomes\" is the part many programmes skip.   One…

@Charles Bawate Bawate, \"proportional for how long\" is the most needed question, and I notice it landed hardest on your own programme, which is a rare kind of honesty in a discussion like this. But I want to test the frame…

@Charles Bawate, thanks for this. In my work, I\'ve found the two aren\'t weighed against each other so much as sequenced. Lived experience tells you what is happening and why, and research evidence tells you how widespread it is and…

I believe programme monitoring data, triangulated with lived experience, practitioner judgement, and the best available research, provide a legitimate basis for interim decision-making when delays could cause harm. In tuberculosis control, for example, we cannot postpone action while waiting for…

In my work in hospital epidemiology and tuberculosis control, I view lived experience and research evidence as complementary. For example, when addressing delays in TB diagnosis and treatment, patients’ experiences help us understand barriers such as stigma, fear, and difficulties…

In
recovery and prevention work, we often face a practical question: how do we
weigh research evidence against what people with lived experience tell us
works?

At
Purpose Rwanda, peers who have walked the road themselves guide others in their
own communities. Their insight often shows us what a study cannot yet capture.
But we also want our decisions to rest on solid evidence, and we want to learn
where our approach should be tested.

I
would value your view:

In
your work, how do you balance lived experience and research evidence when you
make decisions? Please share one example, even in two sentences.

Looking
forward to learning from you.

In recovery and prevention work, we often face a practical question: how do we weigh research evidence against what people with lived experience tell us works?

At Purpose Rwanda, peers who have walked the road themselves guide others in their own communities. Their insight often shows us what a study cannot yet capture. But we also want our decisions to rest on solid evidence, and we want to learn where our approach should be tested.

I would value your view:

In your work, how do you balance lived experience and research evidence when you make decisions? Please share one example, even in two sentences.

Looking forward to learning from you.