334636
Effectiveness of translating health policy into practice in low and middle-income countries (LMICs)
Shelley Brown, MPH,
Global Governance and Human Security, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA
The focus on evidence-based medicine (EBM) as a framework for both clinical and policy decision-making has grown significantly in the last two decades. However, significant barriers to employing EBM, especially in low and middle income countries (LMICs), exist. One of the key limitations includes understanding what constitutes effective knowledge translation. Knowledge translation is defined by the World Health Organization as “"the synthesis, exchange and application of knowledge by relevant stakeholders to accelerate the benefits of global and local innovation in strengthening health systems and improving people's health." The implications for healthcare systems for better understanding evidence-practice policy gaps are significant. Poor knowledge translation can result in unnecessary expenditure and negative effects on patients, and it is estimated that if policy impact is better understood then this improves efforts to increase uptake of health in all policies. This research focuses on health policy briefs and known effectiveness of translating this policy into practice in LMICs. Methods include analysis of available observational and experimental evidence for policy uptake activity translating knowledge to practice, with a regional focus on LMICs. The development of this research is a project in collaboration with the Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME), a six-year Research Programme Consortium (RPC) led by the Centre for Public Mental Health at the University of Cape Town (South Africa). Many organizations, including PRIME, produce policy briefs to translate evidence-based research into policy, and ultimately clinical practice. There is limited information available on the effectiveness of these policy briefs for decision-makers’ translation of health knowledge from research to practice through policy. This research aims to address tihs gap through systematic examination of the literature on effectiveness of the health policy impact in LMICs to inform barriers and facilitators for health policy uptake activity in LMICs.
Learning Areas:
Public health or related public policy
Learning Objectives:
Identify known barriers and facilitators to translating the healthcare evidence-base in LMICs to policy and practice.
Discuss challenges for translating policy to practice.
Keyword(s): Policy/Policy Development, Evidence-Based Practice
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Shelley Brown is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Boston University and a Doctoral Student in the Global Governance and Human Security Program with a focus on Global Health. Her research interests focus on health systems and policy, global mental health, and intimate partner violence and public health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
