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Shabankareh K, Hamidi A, Soleymani MR, Sajadi HS, Alavi M. Faculty members as academic knowledge brokers in Iran's health sector: a social network analysis study. Health Res Policy Syst 2024; 22:53. [PMID: 38685079 PMCID: PMC11057138 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-024-01141-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interaction between researchers and policymakers is an essential factor to facilitate the evidence-informed policymaking. One of the effective ways to establish this relationship and promote evidence-informed policymaking is to employ people or organizations that can play the role of knowledge brokers. This study aims to analyze the communication network and interactions between researchers and policymakers in Iran's health sector and identify key people serving as academic knowledge brokers. METHODS This study was a survey research. Using a census approach, we administered a sociometric survey to faculty members in the health field in top ten Iranian medical universities to construct academic-policymaker network using social network analysis method. Network maps were generated using UCINET and NetDraw software. We used Indegree Centrality, Outdegree Centrality, and Betweenness Centrality indicators to determine knowledge brokers in the network. RESULTS The drawn network had a total of 188 nodes consisting of 94 university faculty members and 94 policymakers at three national, provincial, and university levels. The network comprised a total of 177 links, with 125 connecting to policymakers and 52 to peers. Of 56 faculty members, we identified four knowledge brokers. Six policymakers were identified as key policymakers in the network, too. CONCLUSIONS It seems that the flow of knowledge produced by research in the health field in Iran is not accomplished well from the producers of research evidence to the users of knowledge. Therefore, it seems necessary to consider incentive and support mechanisms to strengthen the interaction between researchers and policymakers in Iran's health sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khadijeh Shabankareh
- Health Information Technology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Ali Hamidi
- Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, Faculty of Paramedicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Soleymani
- Health Information Technology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
| | - Haniye Sadat Sajadi
- Knowledge Utilization Research Center, University Research and Development Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mousa Alavi
- Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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Mäkelä P, Boaz A, Oliver K. A modified action framework to develop and evaluate academic-policy engagement interventions. Implement Sci 2024; 19:31. [PMID: 38610039 PMCID: PMC11010317 DOI: 10.1186/s13012-024-01359-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There has been a proliferation of frameworks with a common goal of bridging the gap between evidence, policy, and practice, but few aim to specifically guide evaluations of academic-policy engagement. We present the modification of an action framework for the purpose of selecting, developing and evaluating interventions for academic-policy engagement. METHODS We build on the conceptual work of an existing framework known as SPIRIT (Supporting Policy In Health with Research: an Intervention Trial), developed for the evaluation of strategies intended to increase the use of research in health policy. Our aim was to modify SPIRIT, (i) to be applicable beyond health policy contexts, for example encompassing social, environmental, and economic policy impacts and (ii) to address broader dynamics of academic-policy engagement. We used an iterative approach through literature reviews and consultation with multiple stakeholders from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and policy professionals working at different levels of government and across geographical contexts in England, alongside our evaluation activities in the Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) programme. RESULTS Our modifications expand upon Redman et al.'s original framework, for example adding a domain of 'Impacts and Sustainability' to capture continued activities required in the achievement of desirable outcomes. The modified framework fulfils the criteria for a useful action framework, having a clear purpose, being informed by existing understandings, being capable of guiding targeted interventions, and providing a structure to build further knowledge. CONCLUSION The modified SPIRIT framework is designed to be meaningful and accessible for people working across varied contexts in the evidence-policy ecosystem. It has potential applications in how academic-policy engagement interventions might be developed, evaluated, facilitated and improved, to ultimately support the use of evidence in decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Mäkelä
- Department of Health Services Research and Policy, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, Kings Cross, London, WC1H 9SH, UK.
| | - Annette Boaz
- Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit, The Policy Institute, Virginia Woolf Building, Kings College London, 22 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6LE, UK
| | - Kathryn Oliver
- Department of Health Services Research and Policy, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, Kings Cross, London, WC1H 9SH, UK
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Rasheed MA, Hussain A, Hashwani A, Kedzierski JT, Hasan BS. Implementation evaluation of a leadership development intervention for improved family experience in a private paediatric care hospital, Pakistan. BMC Health Serv Res 2022; 22:944. [PMID: 35870912 PMCID: PMC9308933 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-08342-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
A study from a tertiary care center in Pakistan demonstrated that a leadership development intervention led to improved family experience of care outcomes. The objective of the current paper is to assess the implementation of this intervention and identify barriers and facilitators to inform sustainability and scalability.
Methods
A working group designed the intervention using a theory-of-change model to strengthen leadership development to achieve greater employee engagement. The interventions included: i) purpose and vision through purpose-driven leadership skills trainings; ii) engaging managers via on-the-job mentorship programme for managers, iii) employee voice i.e., facilitation of upward communication to hear the employees using Facebook group and subsequently inviting them to lead quality improvement (QI) projects; and iv) demonstrating integrity by streamlining actions taken based on routine patient experience data. Implementation outcomes included acceptability, adoption, fidelity across degree & quality of execution and facilitators & barriers to the implementation. Data analyzed included project documentation records and posts on the Facebook group.
Analysis indicated acceptability and adoption of the intervention by the employees as178 applications for different QI projects were received. Leadership sessions were delivered to 455 (75%) of the employees and social media communication was effective to engage employees. However, mentorship package was not rolled out nor the streamlined processes for action on patient experience data achieved the desired fidelity. Only 6 QI projects were sustained for at least a year out of the 18 approved by the working group. Facilitators included leadership involvement, real-time recognition and feedback and value-creation through participation by national and international celebrities. Challenges identified were the short length of the intervention and incentives not being institutionalized.
The authors conclude that leadership development through short training sessions and on-going communications facilitated by social media were the key processes that helped achieve the outcomes. However, a long-term strategy is needed for individual managerial behaviours to sustain.
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Doshmangir L, Mostafavi H, Behzadifar M, Yazdizadeh B, Sajadi HS, Hasanpoor E, Mahdavi M, Majdzadeh R. Individual and institutional capacity-building for evidence-informed health policy-making in Iran: a mix of local and global evidence. Health Res Policy Syst 2022; 20:18. [PMID: 35151312 PMCID: PMC8841080 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-022-00816-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
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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Majdzadeh R, Sajadi HS, Yazdizadeh B, Doshmangir L, Ehsani-Chimeh E, Mahdavi M, Mehrdad N, Lavis J, Nikooee S, Mohtasham F, Mohseni M, Akbari P, Asgardoon MH, Rezaei N, Neyazi N, Ghaffarifar S, Haghdoost AA, Khodayari-Zarnaq R, Mosadeghrad AM, Pourabbasi A, Rafinejad J, Toyserkanamanesh R. Policy options for strengthening evidence-informed health policy-making in Iran: overall SASHA project findings. Health Res Policy Syst 2022; 20:10. [PMID: 35033096 PMCID: PMC8760808 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-021-00803-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
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. Video abstract
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12961-021-00803-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Majdzadeh
- Community Based Participatory Research Center, Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Haniye Sadat Sajadi
- Knowledge Utilization Research Center, University Research and Development Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bahareh Yazdizadeh
- Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Leila Doshmangir
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Elham Ehsani-Chimeh
- National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Mahdavi
- National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Neda Mehrdad
- Nursing Care Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - John Lavis
- McMaster Health Forum and Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.,Africa Centre for Evidence, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Sima Nikooee
- Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farideh Mohtasham
- Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Mohseni
- Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Paria Akbari
- Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Niloofar Rezaei
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Narges Neyazi
- International Campus, School of Public Health, Health Economics and Management Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Trusted Organization for Research and Development, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | - Saeideh Ghaffarifar
- Medical Education Research Center, Health Management and Safety Promotion Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Ali Akbar Haghdoost
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Future Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Rahim Khodayari-Zarnaq
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Ali Mohammad Mosadeghrad
- School of Public Health, Health Information Management Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ata Pourabbasi
- Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Javad Rafinejad
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Toyserkanamanesh
- Department of Treatment and Social Support, IRAN Drug Control Headquarter, Tehran, Iran
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