article · Implementation Science
Capacity-building interventions in Southeast Nigeria evaluated how structured training influences the production and use of health policy and systems research in endemic disease control. Researchers from three universities and public health policymakers took part in workshops, internal step-down sessions, and knowledge network formation. Interviews conducted three months later showed that participants gained competencies in priority setting, evidence generation, communication, and research translation across professional boundaries. Successful implementation of post-workshop activities relied on strong team dynamics, balanced skills, open communication, and innovative leadership. However, systemic challenges hindered progress, including funding shortages, rigid organisational bureaucracies, restricted decision space, poor infrastructure, and an absence of sustained mentorship. While the training successfully fostered a critical mass of skilled researchers and practitioners, ongoing institutional and financial support is required to sustain long-term research uptake in health systems.
Effective control of endemic diseases depends on health policies grounded in solid research evidence. Bridging the gap between university scientists and public health officials helps ensure research addresses urgent real-world needs. Identifying the practical barriers to research uptake allows health authorities and funders to design more effective training programmes and administrative frameworks, ultimately strengthening decision-making across health systems in low- and middle-income countries.
The abstract describes an applied capacity-building and knowledge-translation programme tested in public health institutions, rather than a commercial product or technology. Public health agencies, international development organisations, and academic institutions could use this training framework to improve evidence-informed policy. While the operational methodology has been applied and evaluated in Southeast Nigeria, scaling or commercial deployment as a consultancy or structured training package would require addressing organisational barriers and establishing sustainable funding models.
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BACKGROUND: The need to build capacity for health policy and systems research (HPSR) in low- and middle-income countries has been underscored as this encompasses the processes of decision-making at all levels of the health system. This implementation research project was undertaken in Southeast Nigeria to evaluate whether the capacity-building intervention improves the capacity to produce and use research evidence for decision making in endemic disease control. METHODS: Three training workshops were organized for purposively selected participants comprising "producers of evidence" such as health research scientists in three universities and "users of evidence" such as policy makers, program managers, and implementers in the public health sector. Participants also held step-down workshops in their organizations. The last workshop was used to facilitate the formation of knowledge networks comprising of both producers and users, which is a critical step for getting research into policy and practice (GRIPP). Three months after the workshops, a subset, 40, of workshop participants was selected for in-depth interviews. Information was collected on (i) perceptions of usefulness of capacity-building workshops, (ii) progress with proposed research and research uptake activities, (iii) effects of these activities on evidence-informed decision making, and (iv) constraints and enablers to implementation of proposed activities. RESULTS: Most participants felt the workshops provided them with new competencies and skills in one or more of research priority setting, evidence generation, communication, and use for the control of endemic diseases. Participants were at different stages of planning and implementing their proposed research and research uptake activities, and were engaging across professional and disciplinary boundaries to ensure relevance and usefulness of outputs for decision making. Key enablers of successful implementation of activities were positive team dynamics, good balance of competencies, effective communication and engagement within teams, team leader's capacity to innovate, and personal interests such as career progress. Lack of funding, limited decision space, organizational bureaucracies, and poor infrastructure were the key constraints to the implementation of proposed activities. Lack of mentorship and continuous support from trainers delayed progress with implementing proposed activities. CONCLUSIONS: The capacity-building interventions contributed to the development of a critical mass of research scientists, policy makers, and practitioners who have varying levels of competencies in HPSR for endemic disease control and would require further support in carrying out their medium and long-term goals.
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DOI: 10.1186/s13012-020-00987-z
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