Table 3 Challenges to research uptake in health policy identified by r4d researchers

1. Time investment, translation of research findings and the role of researchers

“Is it the role and responsibility of researchers? Do they have the skills and time to do it? It takes a long time to synthesize multiple papers in one page” (Researcher 5)

“It is difficult as it takes longer to do this translation. It is positive to engage with policy makers in a research project, but it takes much more work than what you would think in the beginning. Sometimes it is challenging to engage with policy makers—research outputs take a long time; plus you may not have as many research results as you would like to” (Researcher 2)

2. Problem of scale and objectivity

“You have to be very cautious in presenting findings to policy or decision-makers when they intend to use them. Findings in one small study do not necessarily make for generalities. One has to be very careful in translating findings to policy without first systematically reviewing a whole body of evidence. (Researcher 6)

“What appears to be relevant in Peru might be very different to what is relevant in Nepal. It would be unethical to try to draw some similarities between them, or suggest policy changes on the basis of findings at these scales” (Researcher 6)

3. Frequent staff change at governmental level

“There has been a lot of change in the team of the national health insurance authority; this makes it difficult to see how they are using the information” (Researcher 3)

4. Diverging interests and timelines

“There is often a disconnect between data/science, research funders and policy makers interest” (Researcher 2)