International consultation on long-term global health research priorities, research capacity and research uptake in developing countries

Abstract

BackgroundIn recognition of the need for long-term planning for global health research, and to inform future global health research priorities, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID) carried out a public consultation between May and June 2015. The consultation aimed to elicit views on the (1) the long-term future global health research priorities; (2) areas likely to be less important over time; (3) how to improve research uptake in low-income countries; and (4) how to build research capacity in low-income countries.MethodsAn online consultation was used to survey a wide range of participants on global health research priorities. The qualitative data was analysed using a thematic analysis, with frequency of codes in responses tabulated to approximate relative importance of themes and sub-themes.ResultsThe public consultation yielded 421 responses. The survey responses confirmed the growing importance of non-communicable disease as a global health research priority, being placed above infectious diseases. Participants felt that the key area for reducing funding prioritisation was infectious diseases. The involvement of policymakers and other key stakeholders was seen as critical to drive research uptake, as was collaboration and partnership. Several methods to build research capacity in low-income countries were described, including capacity building educational programmes, mentorship programmes and research institution collaboration and partnership.ConclusionsThe outcomes from this consultation survey provide valuable insights into how DfID stakeholders prioritise research. The outcomes from this survey were reviewed alongside other elements of a wider DfID consultation process to help inform long-term research prioritisation of global health research. There are limitations in this approach; the opportunistic nature of the survey’s dissemination means the findings presented may not be representative of the full range of stakeholders or views.

Review of published evidence on knowledge translation capacity, practice and support among researchers and research institutions in low- and middle-income countries

“…Research not always used to inform policy and practice decisions [48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56] Examples of LMIC researchers successfully getting evidence used [43,48,49] Factors influencing KT Researchers' reputation/credibility/contextual understanding [32,49,50,[57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]127] Relevance and credibility of research evidence [32, 49, 50, 53, 54, 58, 60, 62-67, 70-72, 127] Contrasting views, demands and incentives among researchers and policy-makers in relation to research, its use, policy actor roles and policy-making [32, 49, 50, 57, 59-61, 67, 70, 73-78] Nature of policy issues (technical versus contested versus interest of policy-maker) [49, 58-62, 67, 70, 76, 79] Political context [32, 48-51, 53, 58, 59, 62, 64, 67, 80, 81, 127] Decision-makers' research background [51,55,57,65,77] Donor influence [51, 54, 55, 57-60, 70, 71, 127] International influence, e.g. WHO [54,58,59,65,67,…”

“…KT knowledge and skills of target audiences Sensitise and train target audiences on the value of research use in decision-making and research methods [31,50,51,56,57,62,64,67,70,74,75,78,84,85] Research availability, accessibility and relevance Rapid response service, strategic consultancy and research commissions for policy institutions and donors/funders [49,53,57,59,61,64,67,77,87,127] Produce a mix of research evidence, including operations research, systematic reviews, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness research, develop low cost innovations to improve practice, etc.…”

“…Establish strong links with institutions involved in the decision-making process in research [49,57,58,60,61,64,67,72,74,75,85,88] Involve target audiences in the research process [53,56,58,61,62,64,72,75,77,85,89] Establish KT platforms or participatory workshops for discussing research findings [31,53,57,75,78,88] Research communication…”

Improving Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Knowledge and Skills to Develop Health Research Capacity in Kenya

“…Lack of knowledge and skills have been identified as primary barriers to the use of ICT tools among health researchers in resource-limited settings [10][11][12], and there is an increasingly recognized need for improved access to ICT training opportunities for health researchers worldwide. It is clear that international collaboration is vitally important for building research capacity in resource limited academic centers [13], and also clear that ICT tools can improve the efficiency of multinational research projects that span cultures, languages and time zones [14,15]. As such, international collaborations may both facilitate training surrounding the use and integration of ICT tools and also support the research resulting from increased utilization of the tools [16,17].…”

Perceptions, attitudes and practices of information and communication technology use in health related research among the health sciences faculty members in medical universities in southern China

“…ICT is gradually becoming an integral part of the learning and teaching environment in most medical schools, and has translated some important theories on student learning into reality in professional settings [5]. Additionally, for the faculty members involved in education and research, grasping ICT skills has been identified as a key and challenging step in long-term global health research [13,14], and they are often required to change the technologies in the teaching process. Moreover, the promotion of ICT can help faculty members to better accept the changes and needs brought by new technologies.…”