The utilisation of health research in policy-making: concepts, examples and methods of assessment

Abstract

The importance of health research utilisation in policy-making, and of understanding the mechanisms involved, is increasingly recognised. Recent reports calling for more resources to improve health in developing countries, and global pressures for accountability, draw greater attention to research-informed policy-making. Key utilisation issues have been described for at least twenty years, but the growing focus on health research systems creates additional dimensions.The utilisation of health research in policy-making should contribute to policies that may eventually lead to desired outcomes, including health gains. In this article, exploration of these issues is combined with a review of various forms of policy-making. When this is linked to analysis of different types of health research, it assists in building a comprehensive account of the diverse meanings of research utilisation.Previous studies report methods and conceptual frameworks that have been applied, if with varying degrees of success, to record utilisation in policy-making. These studies reveal various examples of research impact within a general picture of underutilisation.Factors potentially enhancing utilisation can be identified by exploration of: priority setting; activities of the health research system at the interface between research and policy-making; and the role of the recipients, or 'receptors', of health research. An interfaces and receptors model provides a framework for analysis.Recommendations about possible methods for assessing health research utilisation follow identification of the purposes of such assessments. Our conclusion is that research utilisation can be better understood, and enhanced, by developing assessment methods informed by conceptual analysis and review of previous studies.

Eliciting preferences for priority setting in genetic testing: a pilot study comparing best-worst scaling and discrete-choice experiments

“…Many of the factors identified for a case study in Mexico enabling health research findings to influence policy appear relevant to the case studies reviewed here, including the personal connections of the researchers, the perceived credibility of the researchers and their research organization, and their willingness to disseminate findings via non-traditional means [46].…”

“…Similarly, evaluative research on the heart transplantation programme in the UK maintained close linkages with the Department of Health during the study, and the Department knew the likely results of the final report. On the day the report was received, a major decision was made to continue funding the heart transplantation programme [46].…”

Identifying public health policymakers’ sources of information: comparing survey and network analyses

“…Policymakers draw on a range of evidence-types to make decisions (Oliver, this issue) and, unlike academics who tend to equate 'evidence' with 'academic research evidence', use a broader definition including surveillance data, market research, opinion polls and think tank opinion pieces in their formulation of policy. 1,2 . Research in the area has thus focused on overcoming the barriers to EBP to increase the uptake of research evidence, 3 but this sidesteps the importance of describing empirically the policy process and the activities and preferences of policymakers in their own environments.…”

Des pistes de solution pour une meilleure intégration des considérations éthiques en santé publique

“…Dans ce cas, le processus est initié par les utilisateurs lorsqu'ils sont confrontés à un problème dans le cadre de leur travail. Cette approche a l'avantage de partir des besoins des utilisateurs 24 . Cependant, l'utilisateur reste souvent passif dans le processus d'appropriation des connaissances et les interactions entre les producteurs et utilisateurs sont ponctuelles et limitées.…”

“…La collaboration étroite et continue entre les producteurs de connaissance et les utilisateurs est un autre élément déterminant pour un transfert efficace 24,27,28 . Ce type de rapport entre producteurs et utilisateurs est rendu possible par des activités de courtage de connaissance 29,30 .…”