Escribano-Ferrer Blanca, Webster Jayne, Gyapong Margaret
Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Dodowa Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Dodowa, Ghana.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2017 Jun 24;17(1):435. doi: 10.1186/s12913-017-2383-0.
The 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.
The 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.
DHRC 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.
DHRC 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.
评估研究影响力的重要性日益受到认可。加纳自20世纪70年代起就有悠久的研究传统。在加纳卫生服务局的研究与发展司下属有三个卫生研究中心。多杜瓦卫生研究中心（DHRC）是该国最年轻的研究中心，可追溯到20世纪90年代。本研究的目的是分析DHRC开展的研究对国家和地方卫生政策的影响。
本研究采用研究影响框架。根据一套标准选择了六个项目。使用半结构化访谈指南对研究人员和政策制定者进行了13次访谈。
就研究人员参与政策网络、增加政治资本和影响政策文件而言，DHRC产生了诸多政策影响。确定与政策影响相关的因素包括在设计阶段与政策制定者合作、解决卫生优先事项以及主要通过参加年度审查会议来传达研究结果。
DHRC成功地影响了卫生政策。提出了一些建议，可纳入DHRC的战略规划，以改进研究过程及其政策影响。
