TY - JOUR
T1 - Identifying health policy and systems research priorities on multisectoral collaboration for health in low-income and middle-income countries
AU - Glandon, Douglas
AU - Nigam-Meghani, Ankita Nigam
AU - Jessani, Nasreen
AU - Qiu, Mary
AU - Bennett, Sara
N1 - Funding Information:
Contributors DG led the planning, analysis, writing and revisions of this article overall, led the data collection for the overview of reviews component, and contributed to the data collection for the policymaker consultations and online ranking exercise. AM contributed to the data collection, analysis and drafting of the article, especially for the overview of reviews and online ranking. NJ contributed to data collection, analysis, and writing for the policymaker consultations and online ranking. MQ contributed to the planning, data collection and writing related to the online ranking of research priorities. SB led the overarching body of work with the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research related to research priorities for the Sustainable Development Goals, including overall design of the study, as well as planning, oversight and review of all components of the research. All authors contributed to the review and revisions of article drafts. Funding This study was funded by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (Grant Number: 59838). Competing interests None declared. Patient consent Not required. ethics approval The policymaker consultations were deemed 'not human subjects research' by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Institutional Review Board since data consisted of participants' professional and/or official views, responses were de-identified, and data were reported in aggregate to ensure anonymity. The online ranking component of the study was also deemed 'not human subjects research' because no private or personal information about respondents was collected.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 BMJ Global Health. All Rights Reserved.
PY - 2018/10
Y1 - 2018/10
N2 - Introduction While efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have reinvigorated interest in multisectoral collaborations (MSCs) among the global health and development community, there remains a plethora of questions about how best to conceptualise, plan, implement, evaluate and sustain MSCs. The objective of this paper is to present research priorities on MSC for health from researchers and policymakers around the globe, with an emphasis on low-income and middle-income countries. Methods The authors identified 30 priority research questions from two sources: (1) 38 review articles on MSC for health, and (2) interviews and focus groups with a total of 81 policymakers, including government officials (largely from ministries of health and state/provincial departments of health, but also offices of planning, public service, social development, the prime minister and others), large multilateral or bilateral organisations, and non-governmental organisations. In a third phase, questions were refined and ranked by a diverse group of researchers from around the globe using an online voting platform. Results The top-ranked questions focused predominantly on pragmatic questions, such as how best to structure, implement and sustain MSCs, as well as how to build stakeholder capacity and community partnerships. Despite substantial variation between review articles, policymakers' reflections and online ranking by researchers, two topics emerged as research priorities for all three: (1) leadership, partnership and governance structures for MSCs; and (2) MSC implementation strategies and mechanisms. The review articles underscored the need for more guidance on appropriate study designs and methods for investigating MSCs, which may be a prerequisite for other identified research priorities. Conclusion These findings could inform efforts within and beyond the health sector to better align research objectives and funding with the evidence needs of policymakers grappling with questions about how best to leverage MSCs to achieve UHC and the SDGs.
AB - Introduction While efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have reinvigorated interest in multisectoral collaborations (MSCs) among the global health and development community, there remains a plethora of questions about how best to conceptualise, plan, implement, evaluate and sustain MSCs. The objective of this paper is to present research priorities on MSC for health from researchers and policymakers around the globe, with an emphasis on low-income and middle-income countries. Methods The authors identified 30 priority research questions from two sources: (1) 38 review articles on MSC for health, and (2) interviews and focus groups with a total of 81 policymakers, including government officials (largely from ministries of health and state/provincial departments of health, but also offices of planning, public service, social development, the prime minister and others), large multilateral or bilateral organisations, and non-governmental organisations. In a third phase, questions were refined and ranked by a diverse group of researchers from around the globe using an online voting platform. Results The top-ranked questions focused predominantly on pragmatic questions, such as how best to structure, implement and sustain MSCs, as well as how to build stakeholder capacity and community partnerships. Despite substantial variation between review articles, policymakers' reflections and online ranking by researchers, two topics emerged as research priorities for all three: (1) leadership, partnership and governance structures for MSCs; and (2) MSC implementation strategies and mechanisms. The review articles underscored the need for more guidance on appropriate study designs and methods for investigating MSCs, which may be a prerequisite for other identified research priorities. Conclusion These findings could inform efforts within and beyond the health sector to better align research objectives and funding with the evidence needs of policymakers grappling with questions about how best to leverage MSCs to achieve UHC and the SDGs.
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U2 - 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000970
DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000970
M3 - Article
C2 - 30364329
AN - SCOPUS:85061822951
SN - 2059-7908
VL - 3
JO - BMJ Global Health
JF - BMJ Global Health
M1 - e000970
ER -