Article type
Year
Abstract
Objective: This study aims to map the gaps in the production of Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) evidence in 15 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). The study also assesses the alignment between the existing HPSR and high-level regional and global priorities.
Methods: We searched MEDLINE for articles on HPSR published between 2000 and 2013 in the 15 EMR countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen). Teams of two reviewers assessed eligible articles using a coding form that included HPSR themes on governance, financial and delivery arrangements and implementation strategies. We then matched articles identified as HPSR to regional and global priorities pertaining to 11 themes including health human resources, health financing, role of non-state sector, access-to-medicine, primary healthcare, non-communicable diseases, universal health coverage, emergency preparedness and response.
Results: Out of the 29,126 articles published in the 15 EMR countries, 9% fitted the criteria for HPSR. There was an increase in production after 2005. HPSR articles focused on themes of delivery arrangements (68%) and implementation strategies (19%). The evidence gap was noted in the themes of financial (3%) and governance arrangements (9%). We found misalignment between HPSR produced in the region and the regional and global priorities.
Conclusions: The mapping of evidence gaps persistently showed low production of HPSR in the region. The mapping should inform the research agenda (for researchers and funders) for the field, including identifying review questions for systematic reviews. It also demonstrates the need for aligning the production of HPSR with policy needs and priorities, and for building the capacity in conducting HPSR at the individual, team, institutional and system level.
Methods: We searched MEDLINE for articles on HPSR published between 2000 and 2013 in the 15 EMR countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen). Teams of two reviewers assessed eligible articles using a coding form that included HPSR themes on governance, financial and delivery arrangements and implementation strategies. We then matched articles identified as HPSR to regional and global priorities pertaining to 11 themes including health human resources, health financing, role of non-state sector, access-to-medicine, primary healthcare, non-communicable diseases, universal health coverage, emergency preparedness and response.
Results: Out of the 29,126 articles published in the 15 EMR countries, 9% fitted the criteria for HPSR. There was an increase in production after 2005. HPSR articles focused on themes of delivery arrangements (68%) and implementation strategies (19%). The evidence gap was noted in the themes of financial (3%) and governance arrangements (9%). We found misalignment between HPSR produced in the region and the regional and global priorities.
Conclusions: The mapping of evidence gaps persistently showed low production of HPSR in the region. The mapping should inform the research agenda (for researchers and funders) for the field, including identifying review questions for systematic reviews. It also demonstrates the need for aligning the production of HPSR with policy needs and priorities, and for building the capacity in conducting HPSR at the individual, team, institutional and system level.