Qualitative study to develop processes and tools for the assessment and tracking of African institutions’ capacity for operational health research

Abstract

ObjectivesResearch is key to achieving global development goals. Our objectives were to develop and test an evidence-informed process for assessing health research management and support systems (RMSS) in four African universities and for tracking interventions to address capacity gaps.SettingFour African universities.Participants83 university staff and students from 11 cadres.Intervention/methodsA literature-informed ‘benchmark’ was developed and used to itemise all components of a university’s health RMSS. Data on all components were collected during site visits to four African universities using interview guides, document reviews and facilities observation guides. Gaps in RMSS capacity were identified against the benchmark and institutional action plans developed to remedy gaps. Progress against indicators was tracked over 15 months and common challenges and successes identified.ResultsCommon gaps in operational health research capacity included no accessible research strategy, a lack of research e-tracking capability and inadequate quality checks for proposal submissions and contracts. Feedback indicated that the capacity assessment was comprehensive and generated practical actions, several of which were no-cost. Regular follow-up helped to maintain focus on activities to strengthen health research capacity in the face of challenges.ConclusionsIdentification of each institutions’ strengths and weaknesses against an evidence-informed benchmark enabled them to identify gaps in in their operational health research systems, to develop prioritised action plans, to justify resource requests to fulfil the plans and to track progress in strengthening RMSS. Use of a standard benchmark, approach and tools enabled comparisons across institutions which has accelerated production of evidence about the science of research capacity strengthening. The tools could be used by institutions seeking to understand their strengths and to address gaps in research capacity. Research capacity gaps that were common to several institutions could be a ‘smart’ investment for governments and health research funders.

Qualitative analysis of perceptions and experiences of emergency department staff in relation to implementation and outcomes of the Four‐Hour Rule/National Emergency Access Target in Australia

“…Instruments could be developed to measure and monitor policy implementation using staff perception against other measures of ED function and staff wellbeing. These tools for future research of policy implementation could measure these dimensions and if validated, may be transferable to other situations . This potentially offers reproducible assessment and monitoring of policy impact in real time in a hospital environment.…”

“…These tools for future research of policy implementation could measure these dimensions and if validated, may be transferable to other situations. 24 This potentially offers reproducible assessment and monitoring of policy impact in real time in a hospital environment.…”

Strengthening capacity for natural sciences research: A qualitative assessment to identify good practices, capacity gaps and investment priorities in African research institutions

“…In the current study, a 'research institution' was defined as the university department or stand-alone higher education institution. Minor adaptations were needed to make sure that the benchmark was appropriate for natural sciences, rather than health-research [23] and that it aligned with the ACBI programme's Theory of Change (S2 Supplementary File). Details of the development, contents and use of the benchmark have been published elsewhere [23].…”

“…Minor adaptations were needed to make sure that the benchmark was appropriate for natural sciences, rather than health-research [23] and that it aligned with the ACBI programme's Theory of Change (S2 Supplementary File). Details of the development, contents and use of the benchmark have been published elsewhere [23]. The benchmark aimed to address the main institutional capacity areas needed to provide "optimal academic, administrative and financial support for operational research activities" from the viewpoints of the dean or other senior institutional authority (e.g.…”

“…An objective of the ACBI programme is to 'support science research institutions in Africa to achieve international competitiveness in research and research training'. The capacity assessments were carried out against an evidence-informed benchmark, minimally adapted from one used to assess African institutions' capacity to undertake health research [23] which covered doctoral training programmes and institutional research support systems.…”