Articles

Development of rapid guidelines: 1. Systematic survey of current practices and methods

Guidelines in the healthcare field generally should contain evidence-based recommendations to inform healthcare decisions. Guidelines often require 2 years or more to develop, but certain circumstances necessi...

Authors: Sergio C. Kowalski, Rebecca L. Morgan, Maicon Falavigna, Iván D. Florez, Itziar Etxeandia-Ikobaltzeta, Wojtek Wiercioch, Yuan Zhang, Faria Sakhia, Liudmila Ivanova, Nancy Santesso and Holger J. Schünemann

How to engage stakeholders in research: design principles to support improvement

Closing the gap between research production and research use is a key challenge for the health research system. Stakeholder engagement is being increasingly promoted across the board by health research funding...

Authors: Annette Boaz, Stephen Hanney, Robert Borst, Alison O’Shea and Maarten Kok

Facilitating evidence uptake: development and user testing of a systematic review summary format to inform public health decision-making in German-speaking countries

Systematic reviews are an important source of evidence for public health decision-making, but length and technical jargon tend to hinder their use. In non-English speaking countries, inaccessibility of informa...

Authors: Laura K. Busert, Margot Mütsch, Christina Kien, Aline Flatz, Ursula Griebler, Manfred Wildner, Jan M. Stratil and Eva A. Rehfuess

Gendered health systems: evidence from low- and middle-income countries

Gender is often neglected in health systems, yet health systems are not gender neutral. Within health systems research, gender analysis seeks to understand how gender power relations create inequities in acces...

Authors: Rosemary Morgan, Richard Mangwi Ayiasi, Debjani Barman, Stephen Buzuzi, Charles Ssemugabo, Nkoli Ezumah, Asha S. George, Kate Hawkins, Xiaoning Hao, Rebecca King, Tianyang Liu, Sassy Molyneux, Kelly W. Muraya, David Musoke, Tumaini Nyamhanga, Bandeth Ros…

Priority-setting in health research in Iran: a qualitative study on barriers and facilitators

Priority-setting is a complicated and time-consuming process; however, if appropriately conducted, it could efficiently divert resources to the most important studies. A considerable body of evidence indicates...

Authors: Abbas Badakhshan, Mohammad Arab, Arash Rashidian, Neda Mehrdad and Kazem Zendehdel

Rapid guidelines – timely and important guidance needed for setting standards and best practices

Authors: Tikki Pang and Gianna Gayle Herrera Amul

Does citation matter? Research citation in policy documents as an indicator of research impact – an Australian obesity policy case-study

Citation of research in policy documents has been suggested as an indicator of the potential longer-term impacts of research. We investigated the use of research citations in childhood obesity prevention polic...

Authors: Robyn Newson, Lucie Rychetnik, Lesley King, Andrew Milat and Adrian Bauman

Looking both ways: a review of methods for assessing research impacts on policy and the policy utilisation of research

Measuring the policy and practice impacts of research is becoming increasingly important. Policy impacts can be measured from two directions – tracing forward from research and tracing backwards from a policy ...

Authors: Robyn Newson, Lesley King, Lucie Rychetnik, Andrew Milat and Adrian Bauman

Priority-setting in public health research funding organisations: an exploratory qualitative study among five high-profile funders

Priority-driven funding streams for population and public health are an important part of the health research landscape and contribute to orienting future scholarship in the field. While research priorities ar...

Authors: Yuri Cartier, Maria I. Creatore, Steven J. Hoffman and Louise Potvin

A call for action to establish a research agenda for building a future health workforce in Europe

The importance of a sustainable health workforce is increasingly recognised. However, the building of a future health workforce that is responsive to diverse population needs and demographic and economic chang...

Authors: Ellen Kuhlmann, Ronald Batenburg, Matthias Wismar, Gilles Dussault, Claudia B. Maier, Irene A. Glinos, Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Christine Bond, Viola Burau, Tiago Correia, Peter P. Groenewegen, Johan Hansen, David J. Hunter, Usman Khan, Hans H. Kluge, Marieke Kroezen…

Validity and usability testing of a health systems guidance appraisal tool, the AGREE-HS

Health systems guidance (HSG) provides recommendations to address health systems challenges. No tools exist to inform HSG developers and users about the components of high quality HSG and to differentiate betw...

Authors: Melissa C. Brouwers, Denis Ako-Arrey, Karen Spithoff, Marija Vukmirovic, Ivan D. Florez, John N. Lavis, Francoise Cluzeau, Govin Permanand, Xavier Bosch-Capblanch and Yaolong Chen

Qualitative assessment of opportunities and challenges to improve evidence-informed health policy-making in Hungary – an EVIPNet situation analysis pilot

In evidence-informed policy-making (EIP), major knowledge gaps remain in understanding the context and possibilities for institutionalisation of knowledge translation. In 2014, the WHO Evidence-informed Policy...

Authors: Péter Mihalicza, Mark Leys, Ilona Borbás, Szabolcs Szigeti, Olivia Biermann and Tanja Kuchenmüller

Understanding the concept and importance of the health research system in Palestine: a qualitative study

The importance of a health research system (HRS), namely an instrument for developing and enabling health systems, is increasing, particularly in developing countries. Assessing the perceptions of system perfo...

Authors: Mohammed AlKhaldi, Yehia Abed, Constanze Pfeiffer, Saleem Haj-Yahia, Abdulsalam Alkaiyat and Marcel Tanner

Addressing overuse of health services in health systems: a critical interpretive synthesis

Health systems are increasingly focusing on the issue of ‘overuse’ of health services and how to address it. We developed a framework focused on (1) the rationale and context for health systems prioritising ad...

Authors: Moriah E. Ellen, Michael G. Wilson, Marcela Vélez, Ruth Shach, John N. Lavis, Jeremy M. Grimshaw and Kaelan A. Moat

Development of measurable indicators to enhance public health evidence-informed policy-making

Ensuring health policies are informed by evidence still remains a challenge despite efforts devoted to this aim. Several tools and approaches aimed at fostering evidence-informed policy-making (EIPM) have been...

Authors: Valentina Tudisca, Adriana Valente, Tommaso Castellani, Timo Stahl, Petru Sandu, Diana Dulf, Hilde Spitters, Ien Van de Goor, Christina Radl-Karimi, Mohamed Ahmed Syed, Natasa Loncarevic, Cathrine Juel Lau, Susan Roelofs, Maja Bertram, Nancy Edwards and Arja R. Aro

Collaborative and partnership research for improvement of health and social services: researcher’s experiences from 20 projects

Getting research into policy and practice in healthcare is a recognised, world-wide concern. As an attempt to bridge the gap between research and practice, research funders are requesting more interdisciplinar...

Authors: M. E. Nyström, J. Karltun, C. Keller and B. Andersson Gäre

The GRADE Evidence to Decision (EtD) framework for health system and public health decisions

To describe a framework for people making and using evidence-informed health system and public health recommendations and decisions.

Authors: Jenny Moberg, Andrew D. Oxman, Sarah Rosenbaum, Holger J. Schünemann, Gordon Guyatt, Signe Flottorp, Claire Glenton, Simon Lewin, Angela Morelli, Gabriel Rada and Pablo Alonso-Coello

Translating research into action: an international study of the role of research funders

It is widely accepted that research can lead to improved health outcomes. However, translating research into meaningful impacts in peoples’ lives requires actions that stretch well beyond those traditionally a...

Authors: Robert K. D. McLean, Ian D. Graham, Jacqueline M. Tetroe and Jimmy A. Volmink

The evolution of the field of Health Policy and Systems Research and outstanding challenges

We provide a historical analysis of the evolution of the field of health policy and systems research (HPSR) since 1996. In the mid-1990s, three main challenges affected HPSR, namely (1) fragmentation and lack ...

Authors: Sara Bennett, Julio Frenk and Anne Mills

Dissemination and use of WHO family planning guidance and tools: a qualitative assessment

As countries continue to improve their family planning (FP) programmes, they may draw on WHO’s evidence-based FP guidance and tools (i.e. materials) that support the provision of quality FP services.

Authors: Joan Marie Kraft, Titilope Oduyebo, Tara C. Jatlaoui, Kathryn M. Curtis, Maura K. Whiteman, Lauren B. Zapata and Mary Eluned Gaffield

The AGING Initiative experience: a call for sustained support for team science networks

Team science, defined as collaborative research efforts that leverage the expertise of diverse disciplines, is recognised as a critical means to address complex healthcare challenges, but the practical impleme...

Authors: Tullika Garg, Kathryn Anzuoni, Valentina Landyn, Alexandra Hajduk, Stephen Waring, Leah R. Hanson and Heather E. Whitson

Challenges to decision-making processes in the national HTA agency in Brazil: operational procedures, evidence use and recommendations

The quality of the evidence used in health technology assessment (HTA) agency reports has been considered essential for decision-making processes and their legitimacy. In Brazil, CONITEC is the agency responsi...

Authors: Tania Yuka Yuba, Hillegonda Maria Dutilh Novaes and Patrícia Coelho de Soárez

Measuring research impact: a large cancer research funding programme in Australia

Measuring research impact is of critical interest to philanthropic and government funding agencies interested in ensuring that the research they fund is both scientifically excellent and has meaningful impact ...

Authors: Jacqueline A. Bowden, Nicole Sargent, Steve Wesselingh, Lincoln Size, Claire Donovan and Caroline L. Miller

Changing roles of universities in the era of SDGs: rising up to the global challenge through institutionalising partnerships with governments and communities

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers a wide range of interrelated goals, including poverty eradication and economic growth, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and peace for all people...

Authors: Fadi El-Jardali, Nour Ataya and Racha Fadlallah

How can the use of data within the immunisation programme be increased in order to improve data quality and ensure greater accountability in the health system? A protocol for implementation science study

Immunisation remains one of the most important and cost-effective interventions to reduce vaccine-preventable child morbidity, disability and mortality. Health programmes like the Expanded Program of Immunizat...

Authors: Binyam Tilahun, Alemayehu Teklu, Arielle Mancuso, Zeleke Abebaw, Kassahun Dessie and Desalegn Zegeye

The impact of orthopaedic research evidence on health financing in Australia

In Australia, approval by the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) is an important step in the implementation of new health technologies. The MSAC considers health technology assessments (HTA) when submi...

Authors: Martin Hua, Daniel Myers and Lachlan Host

Use of the self-organising map network (SOMNet) as a decision support system for regional mental health planning

Decision-making in mental health systems should be supported by the evidence-informed knowledge transfer of data. Since mental health systems are inherently complex, involving interactions between its structur...

Authors: Younjin Chung, Luis Salvador-Carulla, José A. Salinas-Pérez, Jose J. Uriarte-Uriarte, Alvaro Iruin-Sanz and Carlos R. García-Alonso

Problems maintaining collaborative approaches with excluded populations in a randomised control trial: lessons learned implementing Housing First in France

In 2006, a local collective combating homelessness set up an ‘experimental squat’ in an abandoned building in Marseille, France’s second largest city. They envisioned the squat as an alternative to conventiona...

Authors: Pauline Rhenter, Aurélie Tinland, Julien Grard, Christian Laval, Jean Mantovani, Delphine Moreau, Benjamin Vidaud, Tim Greacen, Pascal Auquier and Vincent Girard

Elements for harnessing participatory action research to strengthen health managers’ capacity: a critical interpretative synthesis

Health managers play a key role in ensuring that health services are responsive to the needs of the population. Participatory action research (PAR) is one of the approaches that have been used to strengthen ma...

Authors: Moses Tetui, Joseph Mumba Zulu, Anna-Karin Hurtig, Elizabeth Ekirapa-Kiracho, Suzanne N. Kiwanuka and Anna-Britt Coe

Generating evidence for health policy in challenging settings: lessons learned from four prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV implementation research studies in Nigeria

Implementation research (IR) facilitates health systems strengthening and optimal patient outcomes by generating evidence for scale-up of efficacious strategies in context. Thus, difficulties in generating IR ...

Authors: Nadia A. Sam-Agudu, Muktar H. Aliyu, Olusegun A. Adeyemi, Frank Oronsaye, Bolanle Oyeledun, Amaka G. Ogidi and Echezona E. Ezeanolue

What can we learn from interventions that aim to increase policy-makers’ capacity to use research? A realist scoping review

Health policy-making can benefit from more effective use of research. In many policy settings there is scope to increase capacity for using research individually and organisationally, but little is known about...

Authors: Abby Haynes, Samantha J. Rowbotham, Sally Redman, Sue Brennan, Anna Williamson and Gabriel Moore

An evaluation of South Africa’s public–private partnership for the localisation of vaccine research, manufacture and distribution

Public–private partnerships (PPPs), widely used as a means of leveraging the skills, expertise and resources of the private sector to mutual advantage, were similarly adopted by South Africa to support public ...

Authors: David R. Walwyn and Adolph T. Nkolele

Frameworks for embedding a research culture in allied health practice: a rapid review

Although allied health clinicians play a key role in the provision of healthcare, embedding a culture of research within public and private health systems remains a challenge. In this rapid review we criticall...

Authors: Susan C. Slade, Kathleen Philip and Meg E. Morris

Measuring research impact in medical research institutes: a qualitative study of the attitudes and opinions of Australian medical research institutes towards research impact assessment frameworks

The question of how to measure, assess and optimise the returns from investment in health and medical research (HMR) is a highly policy-relevant issue. Research Impact Assessment Frameworks (RIAFs) provide a c...

Authors: Simon Deeming, Penny Reeves, Shanthi Ramanathan, John Attia, Michael Nilsson and Andrew Searles

A comparative evaluation of PDQ-Evidence

A strategy for minimising the time and obstacles to accessing systematic reviews of health system evidence is to collect them in a freely available database and make them easy to find through a simple ‘Google-...

Authors: Marit Johansen, Gabriel Rada, Sarah Rosenbaum, Elizabeth Paulsen, Nkengafac Villyen Motaze, Newton Opiyo, Charles S. Wiysonge, Yunpeng Ding, Fidele K. Mukinda and Andrew D. Oxman

The implementation of Health in All Policies initiatives: a systems framework for government action

There has been a renewed interest in broadening the research agenda in health promotion to include action on the structural determinants of health, including a focus on the implementation of Health in All Poli...

Authors: Ketan Shankardass, Carles Muntaner, Lauri Kokkinen, Faraz Vahid Shahidi, Alix Freiler, Goldameir Oneka, Ahmed M. Bayoumi and Patricia O’Campo

A comparison between health research output and burden of disease in Arab countries: evidence from Palestine

Research conducted on conditions responsible for the greatest disease burden should be given the highest priority, particularly in resource-limited settings. The present study aimed to assess the research outp...

Authors: Loai Albarqouni, Khamis Elessi and Niveen M. E. Abu-Rmeileh

Correction to: Patient engagement in Canada: a scoping review of the ‘how’ and ‘what’ of patient engagement in health research

It has been highlighted that the original manuscript [1] contains a typesetting error in the surname of Virginia Vandall-Walker. This was incorrectly captured as Virgnia Vandall-Walker in the original manuscri...

Authors: Elizabeth Manafo, Lisa Petermann, Ping Mason-Lai and Virginia Vandall-Walker

The potential role of cost-utility analysis in the decision to implement major system change in acute stroke services in metropolitan areas in England

The economic implications of major system change are an important component of the decision to implement health service reconfigurations. Little is known about how best to report the results of economic evalua...

Authors: Rachael M. Hunter, Naomi J. Fulop, Ruth J. Boaden, Christopher McKevitt, Catherine Perry, Angus I. G. Ramsay, Anthony G. Rudd, Simon J. Turner, Pippa J. Tyrrell, Charles D. A. Wolfe and Stephen Morris

Building the evidence base on the HIV programme in India: an integrated approach to document programmatic learnings

The Knowledge Network project was launched in 2010 to build evidence on the HIV epidemic by using the data generated by HIV programme implementing organisations in India. This paper describes the implementatio...

Authors: Deepika Ganju, Bidhubhusan Mahapatra, Rajatashuvra Adhikary, Sangram Kishor Patel, Niranjan Saggurti and Gina Dallabetta

Correction to: Improving health promotion through central rating of interventions: the need for Responsive Guidance

It has been highlighted that the original manuscript [1] contains a typesetting error in the surname of Caspar David Roelofs. This was incorrectly captured as Caspar David Roelefs in the original manuscript wh...

Authors: Maarten Olivier Kok, Roland Bal, Caspar David Roelofs and Albertine Jantine Schuit

Improving interpretation of publically reported statistics on health and healthcare: the Figure Interpretation Assessment Tool (FIAT-Health)

Policy-makers, managers, scientists, patients and the general public are confronted daily with figures on health and healthcare through public reporting in newspapers, webpages and press releases. However, inf...

Authors: Reinie G. Gerrits, Dionne S. Kringos, Michael J. van den Berg and Niek S. Klazinga

Developing a workbook to support the contextualisation of global health systems guidance: a case study identifying steps and critical factors for success in this process at WHO

Global guidance can help countries strengthen their health systems to deliver effective interventions to their populations. However, to have an impact, guidance needs to be contextualised or adapted to local s...

Authors: Elizabeth Alvarez, John N. Lavis, Melissa Brouwers and Lisa Schwartz

A bibliometric analysis of the published road traffic injuries research in India, post-1990

Globally, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among those aged 15–29 years. However, road traffic injury research has not received adequate attention from the scientific community in low- and ...

Authors: Neeraj Sharma, Mohan Bairwa, B. Gowthamghosh, S. D. Gupta and D. K. Mangal

Do policy-makers find commissioned rapid reviews useful?

Rapid reviews are increasingly used by policy agencies to access relevant research in short timeframes. Despite the growing number of programmes, little is known about how rapid reviews are used by health poli...

Authors: Gabriel Moore, Sally Redman, Sian Rudge and Abby Haynes

Designing evaluation studies to optimally inform policy: what factors do policy-makers in China consider when making resource allocation decisions on healthcare worker training programmes?

In light of the gap in evidence to inform future resource allocation decisions about healthcare provider (HCP) training in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and the considerable donor investments being...

Authors: Shishi Wu, Helena Legido-Quigley, Julia Spencer, Richard James Coker and Mishal Sameer Khan

Impact assessment of Iran’s health technology assessment programme

Following approximately 10 years from the beginning of Iran’s national Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme, the present study aims to evaluate its success by examining the impact of HTA and identifyin...

Authors: Bahareh Yazdizadeh, Farideh Mohtasham and Ashraf Velayati

Contextually tailored interventions can increase evidence-informed policy-making on health-enhancing physical activity: the experiences of two Danish municipalities

The present study aims to test out contextually tailored interventions to increase evidence-informed health-enhancing physical activity policy-making in two Danish municipalities.

Authors: Maja Bertram, Natasa Loncarevic, Christina Radl-Karimi, Malene Thøgersen, Thomas Skovgaard and Arja R. Aro

Developing the National Knowledge Platform in India: a policy and institutional analysis

The importance of strong engagement between researchers and decision-makers in the improvement of health systems is increasingly being recognised in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In 2013, in India,...

Authors: Veena Sriram, Sara Bennett, V. R. Raman and Kabir Sheikh

Overuse in cancer care: do European studies provide information useful to support policies?

Health services overuse has been acknowledged as a relevant policy issue. In this study, we assessed the informative value of research on the quality of cancer care, exploring to what extent it is actually con...

Authors: Roberto Grilli and Valentina Chiesa