Table 4 Activities used to link research to action, facilitators, challenges, and lessons learned

Climate

   • No systematic activities identified although a range of ad hoc activities were undertaken

   • Policymakers’ and stakeholders’ support

   • International funding support

   • Lack of skilled human resources to undertake knowledge translation (KT) activities

   • Gaps in infrastructure (e.g., lack of a functional internet connection)

   • Increase awareness among policymakers and stakeholders including those outside the health sector

   • Increase financial and technical support from funders

Research production

   • Three Knowledge Translation Platforms (KTPs) built their capacity for conducting systematic reviews and undertaking priority-setting exercises

   • Six KTPs conducted priority-setting exercises with policymakers to identify high priority policy issues prior to pursuing EIHP activities

   • Two KTPs produced systematic reviews

   • None identified

   • Lag in or lack of local research production

   • Build the production of local evidence

Push efforts

   • All KTPs built their capacity to develop evidence briefs for policy

   • All KTPs developed evidence briefs

   • None identified

   • Lack of skilled human resources to pursue push efforts

   • Poor quality of local information

   • Build capacity within KTPs for push efforts

   • Build capacity of researchers to align research with policy and disseminate research on policy-relevant topics

Facilitate user-pull

   • Four KTPs are in the process of implementing rapid response services (RRS)

   • Five KTPs are in the process of creating online clearinghouses

   • None identified

   • Lack of highly skilled and dedicated personnel to provide RRS and one-stop shopping

   • Difficulty in accessing and finding local evidence

   • Build capacity of KTPs to undertake such activities

   • Increase financial support to pursue capacity building for such activities

User-pull

   • One KTP engaged in efforts to assess and enhance the capacity of research users to acquire, assess, adapt, and apply research

   • Strong leadership and political will

   • High turnover in top level policymakers in government

   • Resistance to change and strong political influences

   • Assess and build capacity among research users to acquire, assess, adapt, and apply research

   • Establish institutional structures and routine processes to support evidence-informed health policymaking (EIHP)

Exchange

   • All KTPs engaged in organizing deliberative dialogues informed by evidence briefs

   • Skilled human resources to moderate deliberative processes

   • Support of policymakers and stakeholders

   • Location within the Ministry of Health brings KTPs closer to policymakers and stakeholders

   • Difficulty in convincing policymakers, stakeholders, and researchers to interact

   • High turnover in top level policymakers in government

   • Build the capacity of researchers and KTPs to engage in exchange efforts

   • Extend interactions to community members, donors, international community, and the media

   • Provide incentives for the participation of policymakers and researchers

   • Interact with other KTPs to share experience and best practice

Evaluation

   • Four KTPs had evaluated evidence briefs, deliberative dialogues, and capacity building sessions through pre/post intervention questionnaires

   • None of the KTPs had yet begun to assess the long-term impact of their activities in policymaking

   • Seven KTPs reported increased awareness of the importance of EIHP initiatives among policymakers, stakeholders, and researchers

   • Eight KTPs reported strengthened relationships among policymakers, stakeholders, and researchers

   • Six KTPs reported that their evidence briefs helped inform policymaking at the government level

   • Six KTPs reported increased demand for KT products by policymakers

   • Three KTPs reported enhanced capacity among KTP members for developing evidence briefs and deliberative dialogues

   • One KTP reported enhanced capacity among policymakers for accessing, assessing, and using research evidence

   • Strong leadership support particularly from policymakers at the government level to achieve outcomes

   • Perception that monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities were challenging

   • Lack of capacity within KTPs to conduct M&E activities

   • Intensify M&E efforts to build the case for sustainability

Sustainability

   • Six KTPs viewed their work as a long-term initiative

   • None identified

   • Difficulty in ensuring the sustainability of EIHP initiatives

   • Difficulty in identifying long-term sources of funding

   • Institutionalize KTPs within the structures (or processes) of the government

   • Build and retain capacity within KTPs and similar organizations

   • Apply for funding from international and governmental sources or conduct revenue-generating activities such as RRS