Assessing the impact of health research on health policies: a study of the Dodowa Health Research Centre, Ghana

Abstract

BackgroundThe importance of assessing research impact is increasingly recognised. Ghana has a long tradition of research dating from the 1970s. In the Ghana Health Service there are three health research centres under the Research and Development Division. Dodowa Health Research Centre (DHRC) is the youngest in the country dating from the 1990s. The objective of this study is to analyse the influence of the research conducted in DHRC on national and local health policies.MethodsThe study used the Research Impact Framework. Six projects were selected based on a set of criteria. Thirteen interviews were conducted with researchers and policy makers using a semi-structured interview guide.ResultsDHRC had numerous policy impacts in terms of researchers participating in policy networks, increasing political capital and influencing policy documents. Factors identified to be associated with policy impact included collaboration with policy makers at the design stage, addressing health priorities, and communicating results mainly through the participation in annual review meetings.ConclusionsDHRC was successful in influencing health policies. Recommendations were made that could be included in the DHRC strategic planning to improve the research process and its policy impact.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-017-2383-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Research impact – what is it, after all? Editorial impact series part 1

“…Impact on public policies: it is related to how scientific knowledge informs and influences the process that involves public policies and responsible managers. It includes changes in interests, attitudes and knowledge concerning an issue of public interest that involves science and technology, contribution to public debate and policy negotiation, as well as the influence of research in decision-making and in public actions that generate changes in a specific policy, legislation or project in the policy community (Godin & Doré, 2005;Escribano-Ferrer, Webster, & Gyapong, 2017).…”

Editorial

“…The original framework was validated through empirical analysis of research projects from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, using semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis to produce a narrative of the research impact (Kuruvilla, Mays & Walt, 2007). Other authors have also used this framework in the literature for addressing research impact assessment (Escribano-Ferrer, Webster & Gyapong, 2017).…”