Immunization is a proven, highly cost-effective way to prevent illness and disease. However, access to immunizations is highly uneven around the world – in 2018, for example, nearly 20 million infants did not receive a third dose of the Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus vaccine, an indicator that is commonly used to monitor immunization coverage. Sixty percent of these infants resided in just 10 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where specific health systems barriers and challenges are impacting coverage.
Implementation research is targeted at interventions to overcome such barriers, and bringing researchers together with decision-makers at different levels to identify priorities, understand the specific challenges and test solutions is an increasingly important approach to strengthening different aspects of health systems. Beginning in 2015, the Alliance at WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, began supporting a programme of decision-maker led research focused on immunization (Decision Maker Led Implementation Research on Immunization, or DELIR). 14 research projects in 10 LMICs were supported through this initiative.
This webinar coincided with a launch of a new special issue of the journal Health Research Policy and Systems (HARPS) that presents findings from eight of these studies conducted in six countries (Chad, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Uganda). The webinar covered key elements of the embedded implementation research approach, and some of the researchers and decision-makers involved in these projects provided insights into the process in practice.
Moderator:
- Zubin Shroff, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO
Speakers:
- Aboubacar Kampo, UNICEF
- Ngozi Akwataghibe, Royal Tropical Institute, Netherlands
- Yasir Shafiq, Vital Trust, Pakistan
- Hope Johnson, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
- Abdul Ghaffar, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO
- Arielle Mancuso, Implere, LLC
- Marta Feletto, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO