Policy options to increase motivation for improving evidence-informed health policy-making in Iran

Sajadi, Haniye Sadat; Majdzadeh, Reza; Ehsani‐Chimeh, Elham; Yazdizadeh, Bahareh; Nikooee, Sima; Pourabbasi, Ata; Lavis, John N.

doi:10.1186/s12961-021-00737-7

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The institutionalization of EIPM in any country is a complex and complicated process and requires various initiatives both among policy-makers (pull side) and researchers (push side) and in the health system and the health system policies and plans [ 6 , 22 ]. This study focused on developing evidence-based and context-aware policy interventions for increasing the capacity of individual and institutional capacity-building for EIPM in Iran.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although in recent years various measures and interventions have been implemented in Iran's health system to strengthen and institutionalize EIPM, in reality, obtaining and using high-quality evidence is a challenging issue, and many policy decisions are still not informed by evidence [ 22 ]. Also, the use of research evidence in health policies is not systematic, comprehensive and well institutionalized [ 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Individual and institutional capacity-building for evidence-informed health policy-making in Iran: a mix of local and global evidence

Doshmangir

Mostafavi

Behzadifar

et al. 2022

Health Res Policy Sys

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Background Providing valid evidence to policy-makers is a key factor in the development of evidence-informed policy-making (EIPM). This study aims to review interventions used to promote researchers’ and knowledge-producing organizations’ knowledge and skills in the production and translation of evidence to policy-making and explore the interventions at the individual and institutional level in the Iranian health system to strengthen EIPM. Methods The study was conducted in two main phases: a systematic review and a qualitative study. First, to conduct the systematic review, the PubMed and Scopus databases were searched. Quality appraisal was done using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. Second, semi-structured interviews and document review were used to collect local data. Purposive sampling was used and continued until data saturation. A qualitative content analysis approach was used for data analysis. Results From a total of 11,514 retrieved articles, 18 papers were eligible for the analysis. Based on the global evidence, face-to-face training workshops for researchers was the most widely used intervention for strengthening researchers’ capacity regarding EIPM. Target audiences in almost all of the training programmes were researchers. Setting up joint training sessions that helped empower researchers in understanding the needs of health policy-makers had a considerable effect on strengthening EIPM. Based on the local collected evidence, the main interventions for individual and institutional capacity-building were educational and training programmes or courses related to the health system, policy-making and policy analysis, and research cycle management. To implement the individual and institutional interventions, health system planners and authorities and the community were found to have a key role as facilitating factors. Conclusion The use of evidence-based interventions for strengthening research centres, such as training health researchers on knowledge translation and tackling institutional barriers that can prevent well-trained researchers from translating their knowledge, as well as the use of mechanisms and networks for effective interactions among policy-makers at the macro and meso (organizational) level and the research centre, will be constructive for individual and institutional capacity-building. The health system needs to strengthen its strategic capacity to facilitate an educational and training culture in order to motivate researchers in producing appropriate evidence for policy-makers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual and institutional capacity-building for evidence-informed health policy-making in Iran: a mix of local and global evidence

Doshmangir

Mostafavi

Behzadifar

et al. 2022

Health Res Policy Sys

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…53 One of the approaches to address this issue is evidence-informed health policy making (EIHP). As Sajadi and colleagues 54 discussed, EIHP is essential to achieving strategic goals regarding health policy making and improving public health. However, health research systems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, including Iran, are not yet well-developed to create and use knowledge to inform health policy makers, leading to inadequate knowledge of policymakers in Iran.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, health research systems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, including Iran, are not yet well-developed to create and use knowledge to inform health policy makers, leading to inadequate knowledge of policymakers in Iran. 54…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Government-Controlled Mass Media as an Obstacle to Health Policy Making: The Case of Iran

Aghaei

Mowlaei

2022

International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Heal

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In government-controlled media, serving governments’ economic, political, or ideological interests often diverts media health policies from their primary target of promoting public health, making them ineffective. Understanding the growth of this diversion in countries’ political and social contexts over a long period demands a multi-layer historical analysis. Thus, to explore the roots of this diversion in government-controlled media, we examined the development process of health policy making in Iranian mass media. We conducted and analyzed interviews with 21 media experts and health policy makers through causal layered analysis, including litany, system, discourse, and metaphor layers. Results indicate that the “absence of stable management” and “health programs’ low quality” undermined achievements of health policy making, including establishing the Health Policy Council and two health channels. We identified “lack of comprehensive strategy,” “policymakers’ inadequate knowledge,” “insufficient financing,” and “extensive government intervention” as underlying social causes of ineffective health programs. In addition, the Islamic ideological approach to health issues has been revealed as the dominant discourse. Interview data imply that conflicts between modern medicine and Iran's traditional medical knowledge make it difficult for media health policy makers to achieve their strategic aims. This study provides insights into the challenges of health policy making in government-controlled mass media.

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“…An evidence synthesis was carried out through a scoping review and searching the institutes' websites for good examples of EIHP practices (in push, pull and exchange domains) to identify interventions to address each of the main barriers (eight) found in phase 1. Details of the search method can be found in one of the published articles on identifying interventions [ 32 ]. In summary, Scopus, PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar were extensively searched.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy options for strengthening evidence-informed health policy-making in Iran: overall SASHA project findings

Majdzadeh

Sajadi

Yazdizadeh

et al. 2022

Health Res Policy Sys

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Background The institutionalization of evidence-informed health policy-making (EIHP) is complex and complicated. It is complex because it has many players and is complicated because its institutionalization will require many changes that will be challenging to make. Like many other issues, strengthening EIHP needs a road map, which should consider challenges and address them through effective, harmonized and contextualized strategies. This study aims to develop a road map for enhancing EIHP in Iran based on steps of planning. Methods This study consisted of three phases: (1) identifying barriers to EIHP, (2) recognizing interventions and (3) measuring the use of evidence in Iran's health policy-making. A set of activities was established for conducting these, including foresight, systematic review and policy dialogue, to identify the current and potential barriers for the first phase. For the second phase, an evidence synthesis was performed through a scoping review, by searching the websites of benchmark institutions which had good examples of EIHP practices in order to extract and identify interventions, and through eight policy dialogues and two broad opinion polls to contextualize the list of interventions. Simultaneously, two qualitative-quantitative studies were conducted to design and use a tool for assessing EIHP in the third phase. Results We identified 97 barriers to EIHP and categorized them into three groups, including 35 barriers on the “generation of evidence” (push side), 41 on the “use of evidence” (pull side) and 21 on the “interaction between these two” (exchange side). The list of 41 interventions identified through evidence synthesis and eight policy dialogues was reduced to 32 interventions after two expert opinion polling rounds. These interventions were classified into four main strategies for strengthening (1) the education and training system (6 interventions), (2) the incentives programmes (7 interventions), (3) the structure of policy support organizations (4 interventions) and (4) the enabling processes to support EIHP (15 interventions). Conclusion The policy options developed in the study provide a comprehensive framework to chart a path for strengthening the country’s EIHP considering both global practices and the context of Iran. It is recommended that operational plans be prepared for road map interventions, and the necessary resources provided for their implementation. The implementation of the road map will require attention to the principles of good governance, with a focus on transparency and accountability.

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Policy options to increase motivation for improving evidence-informed health policy-making in Iran

Cited by 9 publications

References 54 publications

Individual and institutional capacity-building for evidence-informed health policy-making in Iran: a mix of local and global evidence

Individual and institutional capacity-building for evidence-informed health policy-making in Iran: a mix of local and global evidence

Government-Controlled Mass Media as an Obstacle to Health Policy Making: The Case of Iran

Policy options for strengthening evidence-informed health policy-making in Iran: overall SASHA project findings

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