Funding for health policy and systems research in the Eastern Mediterranean region: amount, source and key determinants

Rabbat, Maha El; El‐Jardali, Fadi; Fadlallah, Racha; Soror, Sameh H.; Ahmadnezhad, Elham; Badr, Elsheikh; Dabis, Jennifer

doi:10.17061/phrp3142119

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Although the path of promoting evidence-informed policies and practice is a long and winding road in the EMR [ 21 , 61 , 62 ], the COVID-19 pandemic has opened substantial windows of opportunity for accelerating action toward evidence-informed policymaking with emphasis on providing access to well-packaged, relevant, and updated synthesis of the best available evidence on priority topics in a timely manner [ 6 , 63 ]. Study findings can inform the work of researchers, governments, and funders seeking to promote evidence-informed health policymaking and practice in their own context.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence synthesis to policy: development and implementation of an impact-oriented approach from the Eastern Mediterranean Region

El‐Jardali

Fadlallah

Karroum

et al. 2023

Health Res Policy Sys

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Background Despite the importance of evidence syntheses in informing policymaking, their production and use remain limited in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR). There is a lack of empirical research on approaches to promote and use policy-relevant evidence syntheses to inform policymaking processes in the EMR. Objective This study sought to describe the development of an impact-oriented approach to link evidence synthesis to policy, and its implementation through selected case studies in Lebanon, a middle-income country in the EMR. Methods This study followed a multifaceted and iterative process that included (i) a review of the literature, (ii) input from international experts in evidence synthesis and evidence-informed health policymaking, and (iii) application in a real-world setting (implementation). We describe four selected case studies of implementation. Surveys were used to assess policy briefs, deliberative dialogues, and post-dialogue activities. Additionally, Kingdon’s stream theory was adopted to further explain how and why the selected policy issues rose to the decision agenda. Results The approach incorporates three interrelated phases: (1) priority setting, (2) evidence synthesis, and (3) uptake. Policy-relevant priorities are generated through formal priority setting exercises, direct requests by policymakers and stakeholders, or a focusing event. Identified priorities are translated into focused questions that can be addressed via evidence synthesis (phase 1). Next, a scoping of the literature is conducted to identify existing evidence syntheses addressing the question of interest. Unless the team identifies relevant, up-to-date and high-quality evidence syntheses, it proceeds to conducting SRs addressing the priority questions of interest (phase 2). Next, the team prepares knowledge translation products (e.g., policy briefs) for undertaking knowledge uptake activities, followed by monitoring and evaluation (phase 3). There are two prerequisites to the application of the approach: enhancing contextual awareness and capacity strengthening. The four case studies illustrate how evidence produced from the suites of activities was used to inform health policies and practices. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe both the development and implementation of an approach to link evidence synthesis to policy in the EMR. We believe the approach will be useful for researchers, knowledge translation platforms, governments, and funders seeking to promote evidence-informed policymaking and practice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence synthesis to policy: development and implementation of an impact-oriented approach from the Eastern Mediterranean Region

El‐Jardali

Fadlallah

Karroum

et al. 2023

Health Res Policy Sys

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“…Most of the identified publications did not report a funding source, which could be due to limited funding opportunities or simply the likely dominance of cross-sectional studies and reviews, which are relatively less expensive, take less time to conduct, and require less infrastructure than, for example, clinical trials or prospective cohort studies [ 56 ]. The limited funding opportunities in the EMR may be related to the chronic underinvestment in research and development systems in the region, both financially and politically [ 57 ], exacerbated by the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the overreliance of some regional countries on external funding [ 58 ], although some major donors, such as the United Kingdom, have recently reduced their external funding [ 59 ]. Studies have also shown that research in the health care sector is not a top funding priority for governments, the private sector, or organizations in the EMR [ 57 ] and that R&D spending as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the region is among the lowest in the world, despite significant differences in the GDP among member countries [ 58 , 60 , 61 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The limited funding opportunities in the EMR may be related to the chronic underinvestment in research and development systems in the region, both financially and politically [ 57 ], exacerbated by the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the overreliance of some regional countries on external funding [ 58 ], although some major donors, such as the United Kingdom, have recently reduced their external funding [ 59 ]. Studies have also shown that research in the health care sector is not a top funding priority for governments, the private sector, or organizations in the EMR [ 57 ] and that R&D spending as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the region is among the lowest in the world, despite significant differences in the GDP among member countries [ 58 , 60 , 61 ]. In EMR countries, R&D spending as a percentage of the GDP ranged from as low as 0.02% in Syria and Sudan in 2015 and 2019, respectively, to 1.3% in the UAE in 2018 compared to the global average of 2.27% in 2018 [ 58 , 61 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have also shown that research in the health care sector is not a top funding priority for governments, the private sector, or organizations in the EMR [ 57 ] and that R&D spending as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the region is among the lowest in the world, despite significant differences in the GDP among member countries [ 58 , 60 , 61 ]. In EMR countries, R&D spending as a percentage of the GDP ranged from as low as 0.02% in Syria and Sudan in 2015 and 2019, respectively, to 1.3% in the UAE in 2018 compared to the global average of 2.27% in 2018 [ 58 , 61 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Published Research on COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Bibliometric Analysis

Saad¹,

Khudair²,

Rabbat³

et al. 2022

Interact J Med Res

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Background The challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to unprecedented global research activity. The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) continues to contribute to COVID-19 research driven by the unique challenges of the region, including the protracted conflicts, already stressed health systems, and serious health and social inequalities. Objective This study aims to provide an overview of the publication activities and trends in COVID-19 research in the EMR from the onset of the disease to early 2022 using bibliometric methods. Methods A literature search using Scopus was conducted from December 1, 2019, to January 31, 2022, using keywords relevant to COVID-19 and the World Health Organization (WHO) EMR country list. Data were exported and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and the Citation Overview function on Scopus. The quality of journals was determined using SCImago Journal Rank and CiteScore. VOSviewer software was used to visualize the relationships between authors, countries, and key terms used in the retrieved documents. Results A total of 6880 documents were retrieved, of which 1805 (26.24%) were from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and 1782 (25.90%) from Iran, followed by Pakistan, Egypt, and Jordan. Most published documents were affiliated with EMR universities, primarily the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran and King Saud University in KSA (396/6880, 5.76%, and 370/6880, 5.4%, respectively), while only 407 (5.92%) of 6880 documents were associated with universities outside the EMR. For most of the identified publications (5020/6880, 72.97%), no funding source was reported, while King Saud University contributed the largest share (282/1860, 15.16%) of funded publications. Retrieved documents were cited 53,516 times, with an average of 7.78 (SD 34.30). Iran was the EMR country with the most links to other countries (77 links and total link strength of 1279). The 5 authors with the most publications were from KSA, Qatar, and Jordan. There were 290 high-frequency keywords that occurred ≥10 times and were linked in 7 different clusters. The cluster with the most linked keywords was related to epidemiology and mortality. Recent topics included vaccines, vaccination, machine learning, and online learning. Conclusions This is the first study to show trends in and project future developments of COVID-19 research activity in the EMR. Authors and institutions who led research on COVID-19 in the region were from Iran and KSA. There were multiple regional collaborative efforts; however, international collaboration was limited. Recently, interest has been shifting toward topics related to vaccination, machine learning, and online learning. Understanding the current state of research is instrumental to future research production, and our study will inform regional research initiatives on emerging concepts, as well as opportunities for collaboration and fundi...

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“…The Eastern Mediterranean region includes 22 countries, with a total population of nearly 680 million that is diverse in terms of demographic, geographic, political, and socioeconomic characteristics. Research and development funding in the Eastern Mediterranean is among the lowest globally, and health research may not be considered as a priority for funding by governments in the region (El Rabbat et al, 2021). Given these challenges, D&I research can play an integral role in the region in improving health care delivery and in reducing health inequities by promoting the uptake of evidencebased practices adapted to diverse contexts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Capacity in Dissemination and Implementation Research in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Evaluation of a Training Workshop

Salloum

LeLaurin

Nakkash

et al. 2022

Glob Implement Res Appl

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As the demand for dissemination and implementation (D&I) research grows globally, there is a need for D&I capacity building in regions where D&I science is underrepresented. The Workshop on Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (WONDIRH) was aimed for participants in the Eastern Mediterranean region to (1) appreciate the complex process of bridging research and practice in a variety of real-world settings, and (2) develop research that balances rigor with relevance and employs study designs and methods appropriate for the complex processes involved in D&I. The present exploratory study investigates participants' satisfaction with the workshop, the enhancement of their self-rated confidence in D&I skills, as well as their intention to apply the learned content into practice. The workshop included four weekly 90-min virtual interactive training sessions in conjunction with open access content from the National Cancer Institute Training Institute in Implementation and Dissemination Research in Cancer (TIDIRC). We applied a one-group pre-post design for the evaluation of workshop. Participants were invited to self-rate their confidence in D&I competencies (15 items, pre and post workshop). At the end of the workshop, participants additionally were asked to rate their satisfaction (5 items, 1-5 scales), and their intention to apply the learned content into practice (4 items, 1-5 scales). Of the 77 workshop participants, 34 completed the evaluation. Confidence improved between pre-and post-workshop assessments in all 15 self-rated D&I competencies. Respondents were generally satisfied with the workshop (mean satisfaction range 3.82-4.26 across the 5 items) and endorsed intentions to apply workshop topics (mean intention range 4.03-4.35 across the 4 items). This initial workshop demonstrated the ability to attract and engage participants to enhance their confidence in D&I research competencies and skills and to build capacity in D&I research. Future efforts should consider offering targeted training for researchers at different stages and to clearly articulate learning objectives.

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Funding for health policy and systems research in the Eastern Mediterranean region: amount, source and key determinants

Cited by 7 publications

References 12 publications

Evidence synthesis to policy: development and implementation of an impact-oriented approach from the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Evidence synthesis to policy: development and implementation of an impact-oriented approach from the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Published Research on COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Bibliometric Analysis

Developing Capacity in Dissemination and Implementation Research in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Evaluation of a Training Workshop

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