Developing a Guideline of Good Practice in a North–South Health Research Collaboration: A Participatory Approach

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Jentsch ◽  
Julia Hussein
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
International Health ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Colonial History ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Research Collaborations ◽  
Open Relationships ◽  
Reference Document

North–South health research collaborations have a colonial history, and a contested presence in which organisations from resource-poor countries depend on collaborations with grant-holding institutions from affluent countries. Despite this sensitive context, there is a remarkable lack of guidance to support North–South health research collaborations in a comprehensive manner. A reference document of practical advice can establish standards from the beginning, thereby promoting equitable and open relationships. This article explains the process and some results of the development of such a document – a Guideline of Good Practice (GGP)– for the international health research collaboration Initiative for Maternal Mortality Programme Assessment (IMMPACT).

International Health Research Ethics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Research Ethics ◽  
Health Research ◽  
International Research ◽  
International Health ◽  
Middle Income Country ◽  
Income Country ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Health research funded by organizations from HICs and conducted in low- and middle-income countries has grown significantly since 1990. Power imbalances and inequities frequently (but not always) exist at each stage of the international research process. Unsurprisingly then, a variety of ethical concerns commonly arise in the context of international health research, such as inequities in funding, the semi-colonial nature of international research models, the brain drain of low- and middle-income country researchers, and inequities in partnerships between HIC and low- and middle-income country researchers. In this chapter, these (and other) ethical concerns are introduced and the following ethical concepts to address the concerns are then discussed: responsiveness, standard of care, benefit sharing, community engagement, and social value. Existing guidance and remaining debates about how to specify each of the concepts are summarized. The chapter concludes by highlighting the existence of epistemic injustices within the field of international research ethics.

scholarly journals The state of health research governance in Africa: what do we know and how can we improve?

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Nabyonga-Orem ◽  
James Avoka Asamani ◽  
Micheal Makanga
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Research Integrity ◽  
Dual Role ◽  
Research Governance ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Scientific Review

Abstract Background The developments in global health, digital technology, and persistent health systems challenges, coupled with global commitments like attainment of universal health coverage, have elevated the role of health research in low- and middle-income countries. However, there is a need to strengthen health research governance and create a conducive environment that can promote ethics and research integrity and increase public trust in research. Objective To assess whether the necessary structures are in place to ensure health research governance. Methods Employing a cross-sectional survey, we collected data on research governance components from 35 Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region. Data were analysed using basic descriptive and comparative analysis. Results Eighteen out of 35 countries had legislation to regulate the conduct of health research, while this was lacking in 12 countries. Some legislation was either grossly outdated or too limiting in scope, while some countries had multiple laws. Health research policies and strategies were in place in 16 and 15 countries, respectively, while research priority lists were available in 25 countries. Overlapping mandates of institutions responsible for health research partly explained the lack of strategic documents in some countries. The majority of countries had ethical committees performing a dual role of ethical and scientific review. Research partnership frameworks were available to varying degrees to govern both in-country and north–south research collaboration. Twenty-five countries had a focal point and unit within the ministries of health (MoH) to coordinate research. Conclusion Governance structures must be adaptive to embrace new developments in science. Further, strong coordination is key to ensuring comprehensiveness and complementarity in both research development and generation of evidence. The majority of committees perform a dual role of ethics and scientific review, and these need to ensure representation of relevant expertise. Opportunities that accrue from collaborative research need to be seized through strong MoH leadership and clear partnership frameworks that guide negotiations.

scholarly journals From fringe to centre-stage: experiences of mainstreaming health equity in a health research collaboration

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Porroche-Escudero ◽  
Jennie Popay ◽  
Fiona Ward ◽  
Saiqa Ahmed ◽  
Dorkas Akeju ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Equity ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
National Health ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Gender Mainstreaming ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Structural Determinants ◽  
Applied Health Research

Abstract Background Action to address the structural determinants of health inequalities is prioritized in high-level initiatives such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and many national health strategies. Yet, the focus of much local policy and practice is on behaviour change. Research shows that whilst lifestyle approaches can improve population health, at best they fail to reduce health inequalities because they fail to address upstream structural determinants of behaviour and health outcomes. In health research, most efforts have been directed at three streams of work: understanding causal pathways; evaluating the equity impact of national policy; and developing and evaluating lifestyle/behavioural approaches to health improvement. As a result, there is a dearth of research on effective interventions to reduce health inequalities that can be developed and implemented at a local level. Objective To describe an initiative that aimed to mainstream a focus on health equity in a large-scale research collaboration in the United Kingdom and to assess the impact on organizational culture, research processes and individual research practice. Methods The study used multiple qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews, focus groups and workshops (n = 131 respondents including Public Advisers, university, National Health Service (NHS), and local and document review. Results utilizing Extended Normalization Process Theory (ENPT) and gender mainstreaming theory, the evaluation illuminated (i) the processes developed by Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care North West Coast to integrate ways of thinking and acting to tackle the upstream social determinants of health inequities (i.e. to mainstream a health equity focus) and (ii) the factors that promoted or frustrated these efforts. Conclusions Findings highlight the role of contextual factors and processes aimed at developing and implementing a robust strategy for mainstreaming health equity as building blocks for transformative change in applied health research.

Multimorbidity and comorbidity revisited: refining the concepts for international health research

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 ◽  
pp. 142-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Nicholson ◽  
Tatjana T. Makovski ◽  
Lauren E. Griffith ◽  
Parminder Raina ◽  
Saverio Stranges ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
International Health

scholarly journals Health-related research publications on religious mass gatherings of Muslims: a bibliometric analysis (1980–2020)

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Waleed M. Sweileh
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Travel Medicine ◽  
International Health ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Mass Gatherings ◽  
Research Publications ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Objective Mass gatherings medicine is an emerging and important field at the national and international health security levels. The objective of the current study was to analyze research publications on religious mass gatherings of Muslims using bibliometric tools. Methods Keywords related to religious mass gatherings of Muslims were used in Scopus database. The duration of the study was from January 01, 1980 to December 31, 2020. Examples of keywords used include hajj, Umrah, mass gatherings/Mecca or Makkah, mass gatherings/Karbala, pilgrim/Makkah or Mecca, and others. Bibliometric indicators and mapping were presented. Results In total, 509 documents were retrieved. The average number of citations per article was 16.7 per document. Analysis of the retrieved documents indicated that (1) more than 90% of the retrieved documents were about the mass gatherings in Mecca/Makkah; (2) two-thirds of the retrieved documents were research articles; (3) a take-off phase in the number of publications was observed after 2008; (4) the retrieved documents were disseminated in a wide range of journals but specifically the ones in the fields of infectious diseases, public health, and travel medicine; (5) the retrieved documents were mainly published by scholars from Saudi Arabia with collaborative research ties with scholars in the US, France, the UK, and Australia; (6) Saudi Arabia contributed to more than half of the retrieved documents; and (7) four research themes were found: knowledge, attitude, and practices of pilgrims to Mecca/Makkah, vaccination, etiology of hospital admission among pilgrims, and epidemiology of various types of infectious diseases. Conclusions Research on mass gatherings, specifically the Hajj, is emerging. Researchers from the Saudi Arabia dominated the field. Research collaboration between scholars in Saudi Arabia and scholars in low- and middle-income countries is needed and must be encouraged since these countries have weaker health systems to screen, monitor, and control the spread of infectious diseases because of the Hajj season.

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