Health services research: building capacity to meet the needs of the health care system

Abstract

Health services researchers have an important role to play in helping health care systems around the world provide high quality, affordable services. However, gaps between the best evidence and current practice suggest that researchers need to work in new ways. The production of research that meets the needs and priorities of the health system requires researchers to work in partnership with decision-makers to conduct research and then mobilize the findings. To do this effectively, researchers require a new set of skills that are not conventionally taught as part of doctoral research programmes. In addition to wider contextual changes, researchers need to understand better the needs of decision-makers, for example through short placements in health system decision-making settings. Second, researchers need to learn to accommodate those needs throughout the research process, including identifying research needs; conducting research collaboratively with decision-makers and producing effective research products.

Building Research Capacity for Impact in Applied Health Services Research Partnerships Comment on "Experience of Health Leadership in Partnering With University-Based Researchers in Canada – A Call to "Re-imagine" Research"

“…6,7 Systematic reviews recognise that RCD interventions should operate at multiple levels 5,8 and be planned concurrently at different levels to be effective. 6 So, for example, interventions aimed at individual RCD such as internships, fellowships and secondments, should be enabled by organizational and cross organizational processes that encompass protected research time, budget planning, and resource management and exchange. It also includes career pathways that crossorganizational boundaries that are enabled by human resource systems, mentorship and coaching.…”

Learning from a Feasibility Trial of a Simple Intervention: Is Research a Barrier to Service Delivery, or is Service Delivery a Barrier to Research?

“…This was despite both academic and patient partners having approached the CRN early in the development of the proposal, and our research meeting the criteria for high priority portfolio adoption [6]. The Department of Health has recently re-emphasized that 'when resources are stretched it is important that NIHR CRN effort on studies with the highest priority is not diminished' [6,10]; however non-clinical researchers must also be aware of the contextual realities of research business [2], which may include fiscal penalties.…”

“…AHSR typically occurs within complex systems, involving a large number of dynamic interactions between a diverse range of professionals working across occupational and organizational boundaries. This has led to calls for researchers to better understand the needs of health care decision makers, for example, in relation to the competing timelines of clinical research and practice and the contextual realities of delivery systems [2]. Here, we outline the key organizations in the UK and their objectives, some of which are comparable to health care systems elsewhere.…”

The Embedded Health Management Academic: A Boundary Spanning Role for Enabling Knowledge Translation Comment on "CIHR Health System Impact Fellows: Reflections on ‘Driving Change’ Within the Health System"

“…These outcomes present benefits and challenges for both healthcare and university organisations. The benefits of the intertwined role are numerous, including: co-construction of knowledge and close engagement between industry and academia 32 ; impactful research for the end-user 33 ; and, an allocation of resources based on evidence. 16 Conversely, the challenges for the AIHSM and EHMA include: time constraints; securing and retaining funding 21 ; managing different, competing demands 21,34 ; appropriate performance measures 35 ; and, identifying potential staff with motivation, mindset and capacity to take on the role.…”