Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland;
Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Public Health Res Pract. 2021 Nov 10;31(4):3142117. doi: 10.17061/3142117.
Objectives and importance of study: Health policy and systems research (HPSR) informs stronger health systems but it remains chronically underfunded, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Domestic funding for HPSR helps to ensure research is aligned with local priorities. As LMICs transition from international donor assistance for health research, HPSR will increasingly need to rely on domestic funding. However, domestic funding flows remain poorly understood. This study aims to understand how, and how much, HPSR is funded domestically in LMICs. It explores challenges associated with estimating HPSR funding and suggests strategies to improve domestic support for HPSR.
Mixed methods.
We reviewed regional technical reports commissioned by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, which studied domestic HPSR funding through desk reviews and key informant interviews. Data were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed and findings were triangulated. We also conducted a separate bibliometric analysis to understand HPSR capacity.
Despite many efforts from different angles, we were unable to reliably estimate HPSR funding in most of the countries studied. The reasons for this included a lack of a common understanding of HPSR, difficulty disentangling HPSR funding from other research funding, and bureaucratic and data transparency hurdles. We also describe which domestic bodies fund HPSR and examine the interrelatedness of HPSR capacity and funding.
Domestic funding flows for HPSR remain almost invisible. This finding informs concrete recommendations to improve HPSR funding transparency, and for national research funders and ministries of health and finance to invest in HPSR for stronger health systems.
卫生政策和体系研究（HPSR）能够为更强大的卫生体系提供信息，但它的资金一直严重短缺，尤其是在中低收入国家（LMICs）。HPSR 的国内资金有助于确保研究与当地优先事项保持一致。随着 LMICs 从国际卫生研究捐赠者过渡，HPSR 将越来越需要依靠国内资金。然而，国内资金流动仍然知之甚少。本研究旨在了解 HPSR 在 LMICs 中是如何以及在多大程度上获得国内资金的。它探讨了与估计 HPSR 资金相关的挑战，并提出了加强国内 HPSR 支持的策略。
混合方法。
我们审查了卫生政策和体系研究联盟委托编写的区域技术报告，这些报告通过桌面审查和关键知情人访谈研究了国内 HPSR 资金。对数据进行了定性和定量分析，并对调查结果进行了三角验证。我们还进行了单独的文献计量分析，以了解 HPSR 能力。
尽管从不同角度做出了许多努力，但我们仍无法可靠地估计研究中大多数国家的 HPSR 资金。原因包括对 HPSR 的共同理解不足、难以将 HPSR 资金与其他研究资金区分开来，以及官僚和数据透明度障碍。我们还描述了哪些国内机构为 HPSR 提供资金，并研究了 HPSR 能力和资金之间的相互关系。
HPSR 的国内资金流动仍然几乎看不见。这一发现为提高 HPSR 资金透明度提供了具体建议，并为国家研究资助者、卫生部和财政部投资 HPSR 以加强卫生系统提供了依据。
