This document presents the context, including mapping of key actors and their capacity in relation to health policy and systems analysis (HPSA) research and teaching and their potential implications on capacity of the University of Ghana School of Public Health (UG-SPH) in HPSA research and teaching, networking and getting research into policy and practice (GRIPP). It assesses the capacity needs at the organizational and individual levels within the UG-SPH in relation to HPSA research and teaching and getting research into policy and practice.
Monitoring equity and research policy
Health Policy and Systems Research and Analysis: Capacity Needs Assessment of the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Ghana
Agyepong IA, Aikins M, Esena R, Akweongo P and Aniah K: CHEPSAA report. Accra
Health policy and systems research in access to medicines: a prioritized agenda for low- and middle-income countries
Bigdeli M, Javadi D, Hoebert J, Laing R, Ranson K and The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research: Health Research Policy and Systems 11(37): 2013
To identify priority policy issues in access to medicines (ATM) relevant for low- and middle-income countries, to identify research questions that would help address these policy issues, and to prioritize these research questions in a health policy and systems research (HPSR) agenda. The study involved i) country- and regional-level priority-setting exercises performed in 17 countries across five regions, with a desk review of relevant grey and published literature combined with mapping and interviews of national and regional stakeholders; ii) interviews with global-level stakeholders; iii) a scoping of published literature; and iv) a consensus building exercise with global stakeholders which resulted in the formulation and ranking of HPSR questions in the field of ATM. A list of 18 priority policy issues was established following analysis of country-, regional-, and global-level exercises. Eighteen research questions were formulated during the global stakeholders’ meeting and ranked according to four ranking criteria (innovation, impact on health and health systems, equity, and lack of research). The top three research questions were: i) In risk protection schemes, which innovations and policies improve equitable access to and appropriate use of medicines, sustainability of the insurance system, and financial impact on the insured? ii) How can stakeholders use the information available in the system, e.g., price, availability, quality, utilization, registration, procurement, in a transparent way towards improving access and use of medicines? and iii) How do policies and other interventions into private markets, such as information, subsidies, price controls, donation, regulatory mechanisms, promotion practices, etc., impact on access to and appropriate use of medicines?The authors' HPSR agenda adopts a health systems perspective and will guide relevant, innovative research, likely to bear an impact on health, health systems and equity.
Health policy and systems research: A methodology reader
Gilson L (ed): World Health Organisation, 2012
According to this reader, health policy and systems research (HPSR) is often criticised for lacking rigour, providing a weak basis for generalisation of its findings and, therefore, offering limited value for policy-makers. This reader aims to address these concerns through supporting action to strengthen the quality of HPSR. It is primarily intended for researchers and research users, teachers and students, particularly those working in low- and middle-income countries. It provides guidance on the defining features of HPSR and the critical steps in conducting research in this field. It showcases the diverse range of research strategies and methods encompassed by HPSR, and it provides examples of good quality and innovative HPSR papers.
Health Research Colloquium Calls On Countries To Invest More In R&D
Hermann RM: Intellectual Property Watch, 9 April 2013
During the March 2013 Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) Colloquium, participants highlighted the value of research and development in supporting public health in developing countries and the importance of building self-reliance for countries through government investment. Although the meeting was not aiming at consensus, a few key themes emerged. Participants widely agreed that countries should increase their own investments in research for health to attract external funding and ensure fairer collaboration. And in the context of the global economic crisis, participants also took note of an emerging trend among external funders toward implementation research, which looks at how to effectively translate findings into practice, and suggested that governments should do the same. With less funding available, governments increasingly have to justify additional spending on health research, show the value of investment and increase efficiency. Participants called on countries to look at the knowledge and technology interventions they already have, invest in research to examine why they are or not working, and focus on optimising them.
Health research equity in global health
This statement, published by the Global Forum for Health Research, reports on its eighth annual meeting, held in Mexico City from 16-20 November 2004, which considered how health research could be used to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Key points outlined in the statement include: (1) a call for renewed effort to close the 10/90 gap in health research by focusing on the diseases that affect the world's poor, essential for achieving the MDG poverty target; (2) the need to address more comprehensively the determinants of health, encompassing health policy and systems research, and the cross-cutting issues of poverty and equity; (3) the requirement to give more prominence to sexual and reproductive health and rights as central to the achievement of the MDGs.
Health research ethics review and needs of institutional ethics committees in Tanzania
Ikingura JKB, Kruger M and Zeleke W: Tanzania Journal of Health Research 9(3):154-158
This study was undertaken to describe the performance of health research ethics review procedures of six research centres in Tanzania. Data collection was done through a self-administered questionnaire and personal interviews. The results showed that there were on average 11 members (range= 8-14) in each Research Ethic Committee. However, female representation in the committees was low (15.2%). The largest proportion of the committee members was biomedical scientists (51.5%). Others included medical doctors (19.7%), social scientists (7.6%), laboratory technologists (10.6%), religious leaders (4.5%), statisticians (3.0%), teachers (1.5%) and lawyers (1.5). Committee members had different capacities to carry out review of research proposals. with the majority having moderate and good capacity. Only half of the respondents had prior ethics review training. Although the majority deemed that ethical guidelines were very important, there were challenges in the use of ethical guidelines which included lack of awareness on the national accreditation mechanisms for ethics committee. Adherence to ethical principles and regulations was influenced by being a scientist, being an employee of a professional organisation and having an interest in the use of ethical guidelines. These findings indicate the need for capacity strengthening (through training and resource support), inclusion of more female representation and other mandatory professions to the research ethics committees.
Health research knowledge translation into policy in Zambia: policy-maker and researcher perspectives
Malama A; Zulu J; Nzala S; et al: Health Research Policy and Systems 19(42), 1-11, 2021
The authors explored how health research knowledge is translated into policy in Zambia, and what facilitates or hinders this, from document review and key informant interview. While the document review suggested policy efforts to promote knowledge translation, the interviews raised challenges in coordination and linkages between knowledge and policy-making processes, attributed to lack of research knowledge translation capacity, limited resources and lack of knowledge hubs. However, the authors suggest that emerging local research leadership and a stock of underused local health are an opportunity to enhance knowledge to policy links, if supported.
Health Research Profile to assess the capacity of low and middle income countries for equity-oriented research
Tugwell P, Sitthi-Amorn C, Hatcher-Roberts J, Neufeld V, Makara P, Munoz F, Czerny P, Robinson V, Nuyens Y, Okello D: BioMed Central Public Health, 12 June 2006
The Commission on Health Research for Development concluded that “for the most vulnerable people, the benefits of research offer a potential for change that has gone largely untapped.” This project was designed to assess low and middle income country capacity and commitment for equity-oriented research.
Health system learning sites: understanding health systems through research collaboration and engagement
Resilient and Responsive Health Systems (RESYST), 2016
Health policy and systems research is centrally concerned with people, their relationships and the actions that they take towards strengthening health systems. To understand complex health systems, researchers must actively engage with system actors, ranging from health managers to service users, learning from their tacit knowledge and about their experience. In Kenya and South Africa, researchers have established learning sites specifically to support a wide range of research focused on health systems governance issues at the district level. Both countries have devolved government structures and county (Kenya) and provincial and district (South Africa) managers now play a pivotal role in the development, management and delivery of health services. Learning sites provide unusual opportunities to learn about the daily processes of decision-making that comprise health system governance, and to support managers in taking action to strengthen them. This brief covers: What is a learning site? How did learning sites emerge? What happens in a learning site? What is the value of learning sites for researchers and health managers? and what small-scale steps are being taken to strengthen the health system?
Health workers’ experiences, barriers, preferences and motivating factors in using mHealth forms in Ethiopia
Medhanyie AA, Little Am Yebyo H, Spigt M, Tadesse K, Blanco R, Dinant GJ: Human Resources for Health 13(2), 2015
Mobile health (mHealth) applications, such as innovative electronic forms on smartphones, could potentially improve the performance of health care workers and health systems in developing countries. However, contextual evidence on health workers’ barriers and motivating factors that may influence large-scale implementation of such interfaces for health care delivery is scarce. A pretested semistructured questionnaire was used to assess health workers’ experiences, barriers, preferences, and motivating factors in using mobile health forms on smartphones in the context of maternal health care in Ethiopia. Twenty-five health extension workers (HEWs) and midwives, working in 13 primary health care facilities in Tigray region, Ethiopia, participated in this study. Sixteen (69.6%) workers believed the forms were good reminders on what to do and what questions needed to be asked. Twelve (52.2%) workers said electronic forms were comprehensive and 9 (39.1%) workers saw electronic forms as learning tools. All workers preferred unrestricted use of the smartphones and believed it helped them adapt to the smartphones and electronic forms for work purposes. Identified barriers for not using electronic forms consistently include challenges related to electronic forms (for example, problem with username and password setting as reported by 5 (21.7%), smartphones (for example, smartphone froze or locked up as reported by 9 (39.1%) and health system (for example, frequent movement of health workers as reported by 19 (82.6%)). Both HEWs and midwives found the electronic forms on smartphones useful for their day-to-day maternal health care services delivery. However, sustainable use and implementation of such work tools at scale would be daunting without providing technical support to health workers, securing mobile network airtime and improving key functions of the larger health system.