ArticleHealth research policy and systems2016
Which health research gets used and why? An empirical analysis of 30 cases.
Article in Health research policy and systems, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
67 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Community engagement in research in sub-Saharan Africa: current practices, barriers, facilitators, ethical considerations and the role of gender - a systematic review.The Pan African medical journal · 2022Pooled it
- Cultivating collaborative solutions: co-developing a preventative intervention for burnout among doctors working in a Namibian public hospital's maternity care unit.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Novel approach to the codesign of a tailored intervention bundle: applying theory with pragmatism.BMJ open quality · 2026Article
- Bridging Research, Policy, and Practice: Advancing Evidence-Informed Approaches for Dementia Care and Prevention: an expert review by the Health Policy Professional Interest Area from ISTAART.Alzheimer's & dementia. Behavior & socioeconomics of aging · 2026Article
- Advancing knowledge translation practices to accelerate change in adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health practice: a scoping review.Health research policy and systems · 2026Article
- Improving Collaborative Engagement in Health State Valuation: A Scoping Review of Current Practices and Emerging Recommendations.PharmacoEconomics · 2026Review
- Making intersectoral stakeholder engagement in medicine quality research work: lessons from the STARmeds study in Indonesia.Health research policy and systems · 2025Article
- Breaking barriers, changing paradigms: Africa's radical agenda for HIV sustainability.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2025Review
- Article
- Unfair knowledge practices in global health: a realist synthesis.Health policy and planning · 2024Article
- Stakeholder engagement to introduce a standardised register for improved inpatient care of newborns and sick children in Bangladesh.Journal of global health · 2024Article
- Engaging stakeholders to level up COPD care in LMICs: lessons learned from the "Breathe Well" programme in Brazil, China, Georgia, and North Macedonia.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Towards a sustainable model for a digital learning network in support of the Immunization Agenda 2030 -a mixed methods study with a transdisciplinary component.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- What makes knowledge translation work in practice? Lessons from a demand-driven and locally led project in Cameroon, Jordan and Nigeria.Health research policy and systems · 2023Article
- Building capacity for citizen science in health promotion: a collaborative knowledge mobilisation approach.Research involvement and engagement · 2023Review
- Emergency medicine doctoral education in Africa: a scoping review of the published literature.BMC medical education · 2023Article
- Quick prioritization of Cochrane reviews on benign conditions of the prostate.Cochrane evidence synthesis and methods · 2023Article
- Hospital pharmacists' opinions on a risk prediction tool for medication-related harm in older people.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2023Article
- Output-orientated policy engagement: a model for advancing the use of epidemiological evidence in health policy.Health research policy and systems · 2023Article
- Evaluating intra-action reviews at points of entry: ongoing learning opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC public health · 2023Article
7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWhile health research is considered essential for improving health worldwide, it remains unclear how it is best organized to contribute to health. This study examined research that was part of a Ghanaian-Dutch research program that aimed to increase the likelihood that results would be used by funding research that focused on national research priorities and was led by local researchers. The aim of this study was to map the contribution of this research to action and examine which features of research and translation processes were associated with the use of the results.
methodsUsing Contribution Mapping, we systematically examined how 30 studies evolved and how results were used to contribute to action. We combined interviews with 113 purposively selected key informants, document analysis and triangulation to map how research and translation processes evolved and contributions to action were realized. After each case was analysed separately, a cross-case analysis was conducted to identify patterns in the association between features of research processes and the use of research.
resultsThe results of 20 of the 30 studies were used to contribute to action within 12 months. The priority setting and proposal selection process led to the funding of studies which were from the outset closely aligned with health sector priorities. Research was most likely to be used when it was initiated and conducted by people who were in a position to use their results in their own work. The results of 17 out of 18 of these user-initiated studies were translated into action. Other features of research that appeared to contribute to its use were involving potential key users in formulating proposals and developing recommendations.
conclusionsOur study underlines the importance of supporting research that meets locally-expressed needs and that is led by people embedded in the contexts in which results can be used. Supporting the involvement of health sector professionals in the design, conduct and interpretation of research appears to be an especially worthwhile investment.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.