On 23 November, the Alliance hosted a webinar to share the key outcomes and findings from its programme on Collaborative Models to Enhance Decision-Making. The aim of the programme was to explore innovative approaches to promote research uptake in health policy development and implementation. Two innovative evidence-to-policy models were implemented across four countries (South Africa/Cameroon and Mexico/Nicaragua) from 2013-2015.
Speakers
- Taryn Young, Centre for Evidence-based Health Care, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
- Victor Becerril Montekio, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (INSP), Mexico
- Etienne Langlois, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO
- Nhan Tran, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO
Key Takeaways
- Understanding how policy processes and health systems operate, as well as priorities of policymakers, can strengthen relationships between researchers and policymakers, potentially enhancing the use of research evidence in decision-making (“buddying” model)
- Research uptake, mutual learning and support between healthcare personnel, decision makers and researchers is possible when appropriate methods are applied (e.g. respectful horizontal relations among participants, commitment of high level authorities and key health system actors) (CoP model)
- A fit-for-purpose approach is needed when considering evidence-to-policy models. For example, the “buddying” model involved provincial policymakers using systematic reviews and evidence syntheses, while the Community of Practice model drew on implementation research and tacit knowledge to support front-line programme implementers
- Policy/decision-making requires a broad knowledge base that extends beyond the scientific literature. Grey literature and tacit experience through locally contextualized evidence has an important role to play
- Important to take into account the complexity of decision-making processes as well as the power dynamics inherent to health policy-making
Webinar Recording
For more information, contact Etienne Langlois (langloise@who.int).