Title: Setting priorities for health research: lessons from low- and middle-income countries.

POPLINE Document Number: 314826

Author(s):

Nuyens Y

Source citation:

Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2007 Apr;85(4):245-324.

Abstract:

During the past two decades, researchers and policy-makers have become interested in priority setting for health research both at the country and international levels, and this has increased its visibility. The 1990 report by the Commission on Health Research for Development clearly acted as a catalyst in creating this momentum. It recommended that each country should develop a strong national plan to conduct research on both country-specific and global health problems, and that each country should set its own national priorities for research. As a result, a number of low- and middle-income countries started to experiment with comprehensive and problem-focused approaches to setting priorities for health research involving various stakeholders from health and non-health sectors in a consensus- building process. The Council on Health Research for Development, which was established as a direct result of the commission's report, facilitated, reviewed and documented many of these developments. In parallel, the WHO Ad Hoc Committee on Health Research Relating to Future Intervention Options published its report in 1996.3 This report was intended to complement the commission's work which emphasized national level research. This committee's report focused on setting priorities for global health research, and recommended a five-step approach that could be used to inform decision-making about the priority allocation of research and development resources. In January 2006, resolution EB117. R13 of WHO's Executive Board highlighted the importance and relevance of priority setting, reflecting the growing consensus that setting priorities for health research is as critical as conducting the research itself. This paper looks at major issues emerging from countries' experiences in setting priorities during the past 15 years, and at the challenges still to be addressed. (excerpt)

Keywords:

Developing Countries
Research Proposal
Recommendations
Research Methodology
Policymakers
Research and Development
Health Policy
Advocacy
Goals
Administrative Personnel
Organization and Administration
Technology
Economic Factors
Policy
Political Factors
Sociocultural Factors
Communication
Planning