Dobrow Mark J, Miller Fiona A, Frank Cy, Brown Adalsteinn D
Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M6, Canada.
Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Health Res Policy Syst. 2017 Apr 17;15(1):31. doi: 10.1186/s12961-017-0188-6.
With massive investment in health-related research, above and beyond investments in the management and delivery of healthcare and public health services, there has been increasing focus on the impact of health research to explore and explain the consequences of these investments and inform strategic planning. Relevance is reflected by increased attention to the usability and impact of health research, with research funders increasingly engaging in relevance assessment as an input to decision processes. Yet, it is unclear whether relevance is a synonym for or predictor of impact, a necessary condition or stage in achieving it, or a distinct aim of the research enterprise. The main aim of this paper is to improve our understanding of research relevance, with specific objectives to (1) unpack research relevance from both theoretical and practical perspectives, and (2) outline key considerations for its assessment.
Our approach involved the scholarly strategy of review and reflection. We prepared a draft paper based on an exploratory review of literature from various fields, and gained from detailed and insightful analysis and critique at a roundtable discussion with a group of key health research stakeholders. We also solicited review and feedback from a small sample of expert reviewers.
Research relevance seems increasingly important in justifying research investments and guiding strategic research planning. However, consideration of relevance has been largely tacit in the health research community, often depending on unexplained interpretations of value, fit and potential for impact. While research relevance seems a necessary condition for impact - a process or component of efforts to make rigorous research usable - ultimately, relevance stands apart from research impact. Careful and explicit consideration of research relevance is vital to gauge the overall value and impact of a wide range of individual and collective research efforts and investments. To improve understanding, this paper outlines four key considerations, including how research relevance assessments (1) orientate to, capture and compare research versus non-research sources, (2) consider both instrumental versus non-instrumental uses of research, (3) accommodate dynamic temporal-shifting perspectives on research, and (4) align with an intersubjective understanding of relevance.
除了在医疗保健和公共卫生服务的管理与提供方面进行投资外，在与健康相关的研究方面也投入了大量资金，人们越来越关注健康研究的影响，以探索和解释这些投资的后果，并为战略规划提供信息。对健康研究的可用性和影响的更多关注反映了其相关性，研究资助者越来越多地参与相关性评估，将其作为决策过程的一项输入。然而，尚不清楚相关性是影响的同义词还是预测指标，是实现影响的必要条件或阶段，还是研究事业的一个独特目标。本文的主要目的是增进我们对研究相关性的理解，具体目标是：（1）从理论和实践角度剖析研究相关性；（2）概述评估研究相关性的关键考量因素。
我们采用了综述与反思的学术策略。我们基于对各领域文献的探索性综述撰写了一篇论文草稿，并在与一群关键的健康研究利益相关者进行的圆桌讨论中，通过详细且有见地的分析与批评对其进行了完善。我们还征求了一小部分专家评审的意见和反馈。
研究相关性在证明研究投资合理性和指导战略研究规划方面似乎越来越重要。然而，在健康研究界，对相关性的考量在很大程度上是隐性的，往往依赖于对价值、契合度和影响潜力的未经解释的解读。虽然研究相关性似乎是产生影响的必要条件——是使严谨的研究具有实用性的努力过程或组成部分——但最终，相关性与研究影响是不同的。认真且明确地考量研究相关性对于评估广泛的个体和集体研究工作及投资的整体价值和影响至关重要。为增进理解，本文概述了四个关键考量因素，包括研究相关性评估如何：（1）定位、捕捉并比较研究来源与非研究来源；（2）兼顾研究的工具性用途与非工具性用途；（3）适应研究的动态时间变化视角；（4）与对相关性的主体间理解保持一致。
