In summary, the lessons learnt from the Caribbean experience suggest that in order to increase the use and application of these data some key strategies must be employed. Some of these have been mentioned earlier but will be repeated below for emphasis. Therefore key strategies include:
involving decision-makers from the beginning of the process;
increasing decision-makers' awareness of the usefulness of data and information that can be generated by the surveys;
ascertaining the specific information needs of key stakeholders;
securing key stakeholders' commitment to the process and identifying their contribution;
determining the appropriate method and scope of survey (qualitative vs. quantitative, how much detail, objectives, geographical coverage, target groups) based on the identified needs and resources;
making sure that sample design and strategy will answer policy-oriented questions with the required precision;
managing data collection and analysis with rigour;
explaining and interpreting results for different audiences;
communicating findings by preparing reports for different audiences;
planning dissemination strategy for various stakeholders through workshops, scientific and technical papers, mass media, and community meetings
