Research translation to inform national health policies
Learning from multiple perspectives in Uganda
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19517243 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Freddie Ssengooba (0000-0003-3489-0745, Makerere University, corresponding author), Lynn Atuyambe (0000-0001-5886-5080, Makerere University), Suzanne N Kiwanuka (0000-0003-4729-4897, Makerere University), Prasanthi Puvanachandra (0000-0003-3606-704X, Johns Hopkins University), Nancy Gla (0000-0002-6691-3684, Johns Hopkins University), Nancy Glass, Adnan A Hyder (0000-0002-7292-577X, Johns Hopkins University) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | S1 |
| Pages | S13-S13 |
| Publication date | 2011-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMC International Health and Human Rights (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1472-698X • E-ISSN: 1472-698X |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1186/1472-698x-11-s1-s13 |
| PMID | 21411000 |
| PMCID | PMC3059472 |
| OpenAlex | W2159926632 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 28 |
BACKGROUND: Research and evidence can have an impact on policy and practice, resulting in positive outcomes. However, research translation is a complex, dynamic and non-linear process. Although universities in Africa play a major role in generating research evidence, their strategic approaches to influence health policies and decision making are weak. This study was conducted with the aim of understanding the process of translating research into policy in order to guide the strategic direction of Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) and similar institutions in their quest to influence health outcomes nationally and globally. METHODS: A case study approach using 30 in-depth interviews with stakeholders involved in two HIV prevention research project was purposively selected. The study sought to analyze the research-to-policy discourses for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and safe male circumcision (SMC). The analysis sought to identify entry points, strengths and challenges for research-to-policy processes by interviewing three major groups of stakeholders in Uganda - researchers (8), policy makers (12) and media practitioners (12). RESULTS: Among the factors that facilitated PMTCT policy uptake and continued implementation were: shared platforms for learning and decision making among stakeholders, implementation pilots to assess feasibility of intervention, the emerging of agencies to undertake operations research and the high visibility of policy benefits to child survival. In contrast, SMC policy processes were stalled for over two years after the findings of the Uganda study was made public. Among other factors, policy makers demanded additional research to assess implementation feasibility of SMC within ordinary health system context. High level leaders also publicly contested the SMC evidence and the underlying values and messages - a situation that reduced the coalition of policy champions. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that effective translation of PMTCT and SMC research results demanded a "360 degree" approach to assembling additional evidence to inform the implementation feasibility for these two HIV prevention interventions. MakCHS and similar institutions should prioritize implementation research to guide the policy processes about the feasibility of implementing new and effective innovations (e.g. PMTCT or SMC) at a large scale in contexts that may be different from the research environments
Economic growth · Economics · Health services research · Implementation research · Interview · Knowledge management · Knowledge translation · Political science · Psychological intervention · Public health · Public policy · Public relations · Global Health and Surgery · Global Maternal and Child Health · Health Policy Implementation Science · Medicine · Nursing · Health Policy
Research, evidence and policymaking
Barriers and facilitators of translating health research findings into policy in sub-Saharan Africa
Patients’ and Providers’ Views on Optimal Evidence-Based and Scalable Interventions for Individuals at High Risk of HIV Treatment Failure
Engaging Stakeholders, from Inception and Throughout the Study, is Good Research Practice to Promote use of Findings
Assessing the influence of knowledge translation platforms on health system policy processes to achieve the health millennium development goals in Cameroon and Uganda
Male circumcision for HIV prevention in young men in Kisumu, Kenya
Pathways to “Evidence-Informed” Policy and Practice
Health policy-makers' perceptions of their use of evidence
Randomized, Controlled Intervention Trial of Male Circumcision for Reduction of HIV Infection Risk
Intrapartum and neonatal single-dose nevirapine compared with zidovudine for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 in Kampala, Uganda
Male circumcision for HIV prevention in men in Rakai, Uganda
Qualitative content analysis in nursing research
Agendas, alternatives, and public policies
A grander challenge
HIV Counseling and Testing Practices at an Urban Hospital in Kampala, Uganda
Generating Political Priority for Maternal Mortality Reduction in 5 Developing Countries
| Citations per year | 0.36 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2012 - 2022 (11) |
| Highly cited | No |