John N. Lavis, MD, PhDAssociate Professor and

Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Transfer and ExchangeMcMaster University

Program in Policy Decision-Making

McMaster University

18 November 2008

"Knowledge-Translation Platforms": Helping Policymakers and Researchers Achieve

Greater Impacts on Health and Health Equity

2008 Global Ministerial Forum on Research for HealthBamako, Mali

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Introductory comments (John Lavis)

Brief presentations about ‘what’s needed’

• What policymakers can do (Pierre Ongolo-Zogo, Cameroon)

• What researchers (and national research systems for health) can do (Francisco Becerra-Posada, Mexico)

• What knowledge-translation platforms can do (Nelson Sewankambo, Uganda)

Questions

Research Matter’s video and KT toolkit

Overview

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Introductions

• Panelists

• Rapporteur

Overview (2)

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“Stronger emphasis should be placed on translating knowledge into action to improve public health by bridging the gap between what is known and what is actually being done.”

-- World Report on Knowledge for Better Health (2004)

“National governments to establish sustainable programmes to support evidence-based public health and health care delivery systems, and evidence-based health related policies.”

-- Mexico Statement on Health Research (2004)

Context for Efforts to LinkResearch to Policy

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Member states “to establish or strengthen mechanisms to transfer knowledge in support of evidence-based public health and health-care delivery systems, and evidence-based health-related policies.”

WHO’s Director-General “to assist in the development of more effective mechanisms to bridge the divide between ways in which knowledge is generated and ways in which it is used, including the transformation of health-research findings into policy and practice.”

-- World Health Assembly (2005)

Context for Efforts to LinkResearch to Policy (2)

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Context for Efforts to LinkResearch to Policy (3)

Policy-makingprocess

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Unlinked asynchronous processes

Researchprocess

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Fortuitously linked processes

Policy-makingprocess

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Researchprocess

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Researchprocess

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Knowledge-translationprocesses

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Policy-makingprocess

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Purposefully linked processes

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Increasingly efforts to support linking research to policy strive to address the two factors that emerged with some consistency in a systematic review of the factors that increased the prospects for research use

• Interactions between researchers and policymakers

- Engage policymakers in priority-setting, research (including reviews), and deliberative dialogues

• Timing / timeliness

- Support policymakers to find and use optimally packaged, high-quality and high-relevance policy briefs, systematic reviews and primary research (e.g., one-stop ‘shopping,’ training)

Context for Efforts to LinkResearch to Policy (4)

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What sorts of policymaking skills and approaches are needed to ensure that research evidence helps make policymakers’ jobs easier and more likely to yield impacts in the lives of citizens and patients? How can such skills and approaches be developed?

What sorts of research system elements are needed to help address policymaking needs? How can such a system respond to both broad and specific needs within health systems?

What sorts of bridging mechanisms, such as knowledge-translation platforms, can enhance linkages between policymaking units and the research sector?

Context for Efforts to LinkResearch to Policy (5)

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1. Research competes with many other factors in the policymaking process [Context]

2. Research isn’t valued as an information input [Climate / culture for research use]

3. Research isn’t relevant [Production]

4. Research isn’t easy to use [Translation]

a. Research isn’t communicated effectively [Push]

b. Research isn’t available when policymakers need it and in a form that they can use [Facilitating pull]

c. Policymakers lack the skills and approaches to use research efficiently in policymaking [Pull]

d. Policymakers lack forums where policy challenges can be discussed with key stakeholders [Exchange]

Context for Efforts to LinkResearch to Policy (6)

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When you have ‘done knowledge translation well,’ why has it still sometimes not translated into action?

• Timing?

•Focus on policymakers, and not on stakeholders (including civil society) as well?

Questions

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Will the greatest gains come about if we can support policymakers to see ‘research use’ as an activity that helps them do their jobs more effectively and efficiently (and not as an ‘add on’)?

Has there been an under-emphasis or over-emphasis on ‘knowledge translation’ within the research community?

Why do ‘knowledge-translation platforms’ struggle to find funding?

Questions (2)

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Where is civil society in both the KT platforms themselves and in the focus of their efforts (to inform policymaking)?

Have KT efforts focused too much on policy choice and not enough on supporting policy implementation?

Questions (3)

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A film by Sandy Campbell

Research Matters’ Video

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Pat Naidoo

John Lavis

Nelson Sewankambo

Research Matters’ KT Toolkit