Articles

Convergence model for effectual prevention and control of zoonotic diseases: a health system study on ‘One Health’ approach in Ahmedabad, India

The complexity and increasing burden of zoonotic diseases create challenges for the health systems of developing nations. Public health systems must therefore be prepared to face existing and future disease th...

Authors: Sandul Yasobant, Walter Bruchhausen, Deepak Saxena and Timo Falkenberg

Opportunities for linking research to policy: lessons learned from implementation research in sexual and reproductive health within the ANSER network

The uptake of findings from sexual and reproductive health and rights research into policy-making remains a complex and non-linear process. Different models of research utilisation and guidelines to maximise t...

Authors: Emilomo Ogbe, Dirk Van Braeckel, Marleen Temmerman, Elin C. Larsson, Ines Keygnaert, Wilson De los Reyes Aragón, Feng Cheng, Gunta Lazdane, Diane Cooper, Simukai Shamu, Peter Gichangi, Sónia Dias, Hazel Barrett, Anne Nobels, Kaiyan Pei, Anna Galle…

Getting evidence to travel inside public systems: what organisational brokering capacities exist for evidence-based policy?

Implementing research findings into healthcare policy is an enduring challenge made even more difficult when policies must be developed and implemented with the help and support of multiple ideas, agendas and ...

Authors: Pernelle Smits, Jean-Louis Denis, Johanne Préval, Evert Lindquist and Miguel Aguirre

How can the impact of national recommendations for physical activity be increased? Experiences from Germany

Clearly stated national recommendations for physical activity (PA) are available in many nations. Yet, their impact on national level policy-making might be considered modest at best. This paper analyses the a...

Authors: Alfred Rütten, Karim Abu-Omar, Sven Messing, Mayra Weege, Klaus Pfeifer, Wolfgang Geidl and Verena Hartung

Deconstructing knowledge brokering for commissioned rapid reviews: an observational study

Knowledge brokers are increasingly used by policy agencies, yet little is known about how they engage with policy-makers and facilitate discussions with them about their research needs. This study examines kno...

Authors: G. Moore, S. Redman, P. Butow and A. Haynes

Mental health research priorities in Australia: a consumer and carer agenda

The perspectives of mental health consumers and carers are increasingly recognised as important to the development and conduct of research. However, research directions are still most commonly developed withou...

Authors: Michelle A. Banfield, Alyssa R. Morse, Amelia Gulliver and Kathleen M. Griffiths

Embracing complexity and uncertainty to create impact: exploring the processes and transformative potential of co-produced research through development of a social impact model

The potential use, influence and impact of health research is seldom fully realised. This stubborn problem has caused burgeoning global interest in research aiming to address the implementation ‘gap’ and facto...

Authors: Kate Beckett, Michelle Farr, Anita Kothari, Lesley Wye and Andrée le May

Application of the i-PARIHS framework for enhancing understanding of interactive dissemination to achieve wide-scale improvement in Indigenous primary healthcare

Participatory research approaches improve the use of evidence in policy, programmes and practice. Few studies have addressed ways to scale up participatory research for wider system improvement or the intensit...

Authors: Alison Laycock, Gillian Harvey, Nikki Percival, Frances Cunningham, Jodie Bailie, Veronica Matthews, Kerry Copley, Louise Patel and Ross Bailie

An analysis of research priority-setting at the World Health Organization – how mapping to a standard template allows for comparison between research priority-setting approaches

A review of research priorities completed by WHO technical units was undertaken. Results of the mapping were recorded in a database that was used to generate analysis and compare research priorities and the di...

Authors: R. F. Terry, E. Charles, B. Purdy and A. Sanford

Budgeting for a billion: applying health technology assessment (HTA) for universal health coverage in India

India recently launched the largest universal health coverage scheme in the world to address the gaps in providing healthcare to its population. Health technology assessment (HTA) has been recognised as a tool...

Authors: Saudamini Vishwanath Dabak, Songyot Pilasant, Abha Mehndiratta, Laura Emily Downey, Francoise Cluzeau, Kalipso Chalkidou, Alia Cynthia Gonzales Luz, Sitaporn Youngkong and Yot Teerawattananon

Healthy bi-regional connection: The EU-LAC Health initiative has promoted equitable and collaborative health research and innovation

The European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean regions have enjoyed privileged relations since the first bi-regional Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1999, an...

Authors: Teresa Corral, Mónica de Román, Antonio J. Gómez-Núñez, Bruno Mourenza, Cristiane Quental, Stephanie Splett-Rudolf and Rafael de Andrés

A deliberative dialogue as a knowledge translation strategy on road traffic injuries in Burkina Faso: a mixed-method evaluation

Deliberative dialogues are increasingly being used, particularly on the African continent. They are a promising interactive knowledge translation strategy that brings together and leverages the knowledge of di...

Authors: Esther Mc Sween-Cadieux, Christian Dagenais and Valéry Ridde

Systematic reviews for policy-making – critical reflections are needed

Authors: Kirsti Malterud, Anne Karen Bjelland and Kari Tove Elvbakken

Subjective judgements – no more, no less? A response to Malterud, Bjelland and Elvbakken

In 2016, three researchers published a report where they concluded that systematic reviews from my institution, the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services, are of little use for health policy decis...

Authors: Atle Fretheim

An integrative review of potential enablers and barriers to accessing mental health services in Ghana

The importance of accessible mental health treatment is a global concern, particularly when one in five people will experience a mental health problem in their lifespan. This is no less important in Ghana; how...

Authors: Eric Badu, Anthony Paul O’Brien and Rebecca Mitchell

Knowledge mobilisation for chronic disease prevention: the case of the Australian Prevention Partnership Centre

Cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary partnership research is considered one of the most effective means of facilitating research-informed policy and practice, particularly for addressing complex problems such as ...

Authors: Sonia Wutzke, Samantha Rowbotham, Abby Haynes, Penelope Hawe, Paul Kelly, Sally Redman, Seanna Davidson, Jackie Stephenson, Marge Overs and Andrew Wilson

Decisions in health technology assessment: should we speak with one voice?

Decisions regarding the regulation of individual medicines differ from country to country. In the case of Relenza, Mulinari and Davis (Health Res Policy Syst 15:93, 2017) have suggested that these inconsistencies...

Authors: Tracy Merlin

The Swedish Medical Products Agency’s rules of procedure

Authors: Catarina Andersson Forsman

Regulatory scientists’ work has important ramifications for public health and should be open to public scrutiny

The Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) objects to the fact that we occasionally refer to one of its senior ex-employees by name. However, names of individual MPA assessors, Food and Drug Administration (FDA...

Authors: Shai Mulinari and Courtney Davis

Evaluating the impact of a network of research partnerships: a longitudinal multiple case study protocol

Conducting and/or disseminating research together with community stakeholders (e.g. policy-makers, practitioners, community organisations, patients) is a promising approach to generating relevant and impactful...

Authors: Femke Hoekstra, Kathleen A. Martin Ginis, Veronica Allan, Anita Kothari and Heather L. Gainforth

The potential of an online educational platform to contribute to achieving sustainable development goals: a mixed-methods evaluation of the Peoples-uni online platform

This paper reports on an online platform, People’s Open Access Education Initiative (Peoples-uni), as a means of enhancing access to master’s level public health education for health professionals. Peoples-uni...

Authors: Sanjeev Sridharan, Madeleine Bondy, April Nakaima and Richard F. Heller

Evaluating health research priority-setting in low-income countries: a case study of health research priority-setting in Zambia

Priority-setting (PS) for health research presents an opportunity for the relevant stakeholders to identify and create a list of priorities that reflects the country’s knowledge needs. Zambia has conducted sev...

Authors: Lydia Kapiriri, Corinne Schuster-Wallace and Pascalina Chanda-Kapata

Advancing the evaluation of integrated knowledge translation

Integrated knowledge translation (IKT) flows from the premise that knowledge co-produced with decision-makers is more likely to inform subsequent decisions. However, evaluations of manager/policy-maker-focused...

Authors: Sara A. Kreindler

Exploring the synergies between focused ethnography and integrated knowledge translation

Issues with the uptake of research findings in applied health services research remain problematic. Part of this disconnect is attributed to the exclusion of knowledge users at the outset of a study, which oft...

Authors: Jennifer Baumbusch, Sarah Wu, Sandra B. Lauck, Davina Banner, Tamar O’Shea and Leslie Achtem

A new interministerial strategy for the promotion of healthy eating in Portugal: implementation and initial results

To describe the implementation, main intervention areas and initial results of the Integrated Strategy for the Promotion of Healthy Eating (EIPAS) in Portugal.

Authors: Pedro Graça, Maria João Gregório, Sofia Mendes de Sousa, Sónia Brás, Tatiana Penedo, Telmo Carvalho, Narcisa M. Bandarra, Rui Matias Lima, Ana Paula Simão, Francisco Goiana-da-Silva, Maria Graça Freitas and Fernando Ferreira Araújo

Knowledge translation for realist reviews: a participatory approach for a review on scaling up complex interventions

Knowledge syntheses that use a realist methodology are gaining popularity. Yet, there are few reports in the literature that describe how results are summarised, shared and used. This paper aims to inform know...

Authors: Jennifer A. Boyko, Barbara L. Riley, Cameron D. Willis, Lisa Stockton, Dana Zummach, Jon Kerner, Kerry Robinson and Marie Chia

Exploring the complex pathway of the primary health care response to intimate partner violence in New Zealand

Integrating sustainable responses to intimate partner violence in health care is a persistent and complex problem internationally. New Zealand holds a leading role, having established national health system in...

Authors: Claire Gear, Elizabeth Eppel and Jane Koziol-Mclain

Disability, mental health, sexual orientation and gender identity: understanding health inequity through experience and difference

This paper focuses on inequities in health in the context of disability, mental health, sexual orientation and gender identity (The authors’ location outside of these identities is acknowledged as a serious li...

Authors: N. Nakkeeran and Barathi Nakkeeran

A health equity research agenda for India: results of a consultative exercise

This paper describes the process and outcome of a consultative exercise undertaken to develop a medium-term agenda for the next decade, and to identify a short list of immediate priorities for health equity re...

Authors: T.K. Sundari Ravindran and Tanya Seshadri

Globalisation and neoliberalism as structural drivers of health inequities

In this paper, we draw upon and build on three presentations which were part of the plenary session on ‘Structural Drivers of Health Inequities’ at the National Conference on Health Inequities in India: Transf...

Authors: Rama V. Baru and Malu Mohan

Building capacity in primary care rehabilitation clinical practice guidelines: a South African initiative

The large number of South Africans with disability who cannot access good quality rehabilitation presents a public health and human rights challenge. A cost-effective, efficient approach is required to address...

Authors: Q. Louw, K. Grimmer, J. M. Dizon, S. Machingaidze, H. Parker and D. Ernstzen

Physician perspectives on Choosing Wisely Canada as an approach to reduce unnecessary medical care: a qualitative study

Reducing monies spent on unnecessary medical care is one possible target to improve value in healthcare systems. Regional variation in the provision of medical care suggests physician behaviour and patient dem...

Authors: Mark Embrett and Glen E Randall

Uncovering the mechanisms of research capacity development in health and social care: a realist synthesis

Research capacity development (RCD) is considered fundamental to closing the evidence–practice gap, thereby contributing to health, wealth and knowledge for practice. Numerous frameworks and models have been p...

Authors: Jo Cooke, Paolo Gardois and Andrew Booth

A longitudinal review of national HIV policy and progress made in health facility implementation in Eastern Zimbabwe

In recent years, WHO has made major changes to its guidance on the provision of HIV care and treatment services. We conducted a longitudinal study from 2013 to 2015 to establish how these changes have been tra...

Authors: Malebogo Tlhajoane, Tidings Masoka, Edith Mpandaguta, Rebecca Rhead, Kathryn Church, Alison Wringe, Noah Kadzura, Nimalan Arinaminpathy, Constance Nyamukapa, Nadine Schur, Owen Mugurungi, Morten Skovdal, Jeffrey W. Eaton and Simon Gregson

Introducing responsible innovation in health: a policy-oriented framework

The scholarship on responsible research and innovation (RRI) aims to align the processes and outcomes of innovation with societal values by involving a broad range of stakeholders from a very early stage. Thou...

Authors: Hudson Pacifico Silva, Pascale Lehoux, Fiona Alice Miller and Jean-Louis Denis

Correction to: Impact assessment of Iran’s health technology assessment programme

It has been highlighted that the original article [1] contains a typesetting mistake in affiliation 2.

Authors: Bahareh Yazdizadeh, Farideh Mohtasham and Ashraf Velayati

Assessing the applicability of public health intervention evaluations from one setting to another: a methodological study of the usability and usefulness of assessment tools and frameworks

Public health interventions can be complicated, complex and context dependent, making the assessment of applicability challenging. Nevertheless, for them to be of use beyond the original study setting, they ne...

Authors: Helen Elizabeth Denise Burchett, Laurence Blanchard, Dylan Kneale and James Thomas

Public involvement and health research system governance: a qualitative study

Interest in public involvement in health research projects has led to increased attention on the coordination of public involvement through research organisations, networks and whole systems. We draw on previo...

Authors: Fiona Alice Miller, Sarah J. Patton, Mark Dobrow, Deborah A. Marshall and Whitney Berta

A systematic review on academic research productivity of postgraduate students in low- and middle-income countries

While several individual studies addressing research productivity of post-graduate students are available, a synthesis of effective strategies to increase productivity and the determinants of productivity in l...

Authors: E. A. Obuku, J. N. Lavis, A. Kinengyere, R. Ssenono, M. Ocan, D. K. Mafigiri, F. Ssengooba, C. Karamagi and N. K. Sewankambo

A systematic review of frameworks for the interrelationships of mental health evidence and policy in low- and middle-income countries

The interrelationships between research evidence and policy-making are complex. Different theoretical frameworks exist to explain general evidence–policy interactions. One largely unexplored element of these i...

Authors: Nicole Votruba, Alexandra Ziemann, Jonathan Grant and Graham Thornicroft

Health policy and systems research: the future of the field

Health policy and systems research (HPSR) has changed considerably over the last 20 years, but its main purpose remains to inform and influence health policies and systems. Whereas goals that underpin health s...

Authors: David H. Peters

The reporting of funding in health policy and systems research: a cross-sectional study

Major research-reporting statements, such as PRISMA and CONSORT, require authors to provide information about funding. The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the reporting of funding in health policy ...

Authors: Assem M. Khamis, Lama Bou-Karroum, Maram B. Hakoum, Mounir Al-Gibbawi, Joseph R. Habib, Fadi El-Jardali and Elie A. Akl

The contribution of Cyprus to non-communicable diseases and biomedical research from 2002 to 2013: implications for evidence-based health policy

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of disease burden and mortality at the European level and in Cyprus. This research was conducted to map the research activities of Cypriot institutions i...

Authors: Elena Pallari, Grant Lewison, Chryso Th. Pallari, George Samoutis, Mursheda Begum and Richard Sullivan

The discordance between evidence and health policy in the United States: the science of translational research and the critical role of diverse stakeholders

There is often a discordance between health research evidence and public health policies implemented by the United States federal government. In the process of developing health policy, discordance can arise t...

Authors: Mohsen Malekinejad, Hacsi Horvath, Harry Snyder and Claire D. Brindis

Advancing the science behind human resources for health: highlights from the Health Policy and Systems Research Reader on Human Resources for Health

Health workers are central to people-centred health systems, resilient economies and sustainable development. Given the rising importance of the health workforce, changing human resource for health (HRH) polic...

Authors: A.S. George, J. Campbell and A. Ghaffar

Public involvement in health research systems: a governance framework

Growing interest in public involvement in health research has led to organisational and policy change. Additionally, an emerging body of policy-oriented scholarship has begun to identify the organisational and...

Authors: Fiona Alice Miller, Sarah J. Patton, Mark Dobrow and Whitney Berta

Are our ‘UHC systems’ learning systems? Piloting an assessment tool and process in six African countries

If there is one universal recommendation to countries wanting to make progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), it is to develop the learning capacities that will enable them to ‘find their own way’ – ...

Authors: E. Akhnif, J. A. Kiendrebeogo, A. Idrissi Azouzzi, Z. Adam, C. P. Makoutode, S. Mayaka Manitu, Z. Njoumemi, A. Gamble Kelley and B. Meessen

Use of post-graduate students' research in evidence informed health policies: a case study of Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Uganda

World over, stakeholders are increasingly concerned about making research useful in public policy-making. However, there are hardly any reports linking production of research by students at institutions of hig...

Authors: E. A. Obuku, N. K. Sewankambo, D. K. Mafigiri, F. Sengooba, C. Karamagi and J. N. Lavis

A review of the process of knowledge transfer and use of evidence in reproductive and child health in Ghana

The paper carries out a situational analysis to examine the production, dissemination and utilisation of reproductive and child health-related evidence to inform policy formulation in Ghana’s health sector.

Authors: Gordon Abekah-Nkrumah, Sombié Issiaka, Lokossou Virgil and Johnson Ermel

Standardising costs or standardising care? Qualitative evaluation of the implementation and impact of a hospital funding reform in Ontario, Canada

Since 2011, the Government of Ontario, Canada, has phased in hospital funding reforms hoping to encourage standardised, evidence-based clinical care processes to both improve patient outcomes and reduce system...

Authors: Karen S. Palmer, Adalsteinn D. Brown, Jenna M. Evans, Husayn Marani, Kirstie K. Russell, Danielle Martin and Noah M. Ivers