scholarly journals How COVID-19 affects the use of evidence informed policymaking among iranian health policymakers and managers

2022 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peivand Bastani ◽  
Jamshid Bahmaei ◽  
Ebrahim Kharazinejad ◽  
Mahnaz Samadbeik ◽  
Zhanming Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health System ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Rapid Responses ◽  
The Way

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for new valid scientific evidence to support urgent clinical and policy decision making; as well as improved processes for the rapid synthesis, uptake and application of that evidence. Evidence informed policymaking (EIPM) can be considered as a way to access and use the results of evidence in practice. This study aimed to determine what effects COVID-19 had on the way Iranian health managers and policymakers use evidence in their decisions. Methods This study was conducted in 2021 applying a qualitative research design. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Thirty health care managers, policy makers and medical university faculty members were recruited as the study participants, initially via a purposive sample, followed by snowballing. A conventional content analysis presented by Hsieh and Shannon (2005) was applied for data analysis. Results Ten main themes emerged from the data including: 1) roles and duties of knowledge brokers (KBs); 2-5) the roles, benefits, barriers and necessities of applying Knowledge Translation Exchange (KTE) tools; 6-8) the facilitators, benefits and barriers to the application of evidence during COVID-19; 9) challenges of rapid evidence production evidence during COVID-19 and 10) consequences of not applying evidence during COVID-19. According to the present conceptual framework, KBs act as an intermediator between the large amounts of knowledge produced and decision makers. KTE tools should be applied to enhance EIPM during COVID-19. Attention should be paid to the facilitators, barriers, benefits and necessities of evidence application during COVID-19 to avoid negative consequences for the health system. Conclusions Results of this study show that developing KTE tools and activating KBs can be among the main strategies to produce applied actionable messages for policymakers to move toward EIPM; and that this applies even when rapid decision making is required, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is strongly recommended to reinforce the local capacities through supporting scientific networks and relationships between research centers and local and national policymakers. At the same time, attention to local barriers to and facilitators of the application of evidence while facing a pandemic can pave the way to better identification of health system`s problems and rapid responses.

scholarly journals Building the capacity of users and producers of evidence in health policy and systems research for better control of endemic diseases in Nigeria: a situational analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Obinna Onwujekwe ◽  
Enyi Etiaba ◽  
Chinyere Mbachu ◽  
Uchenna Ezenwaka ◽  
Ifeanyi Chikezie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Health System ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Situational Analysis ◽  
Endemic Diseases ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
The Government ◽  
High Level ◽  
Health Policy And Systems

Abstract Background There is a current need to build the capacity of Health Policy and Systems Research + Analysis (HPSR+A) in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) as this enhances the processes of decision-making at all levels of the health system. This paper provides information on the HPSR+A knowledge and practice among producers and users of evidence in priority setting for HPSR+A regarding control of endemic diseases in two states in Nigeria. It also highlights the HPSR+A capacity building needs and interventions that will lead to increased HPSR+A and use for actual policy and decision making by the government and other policy actors. Methods Data was collected from 96 purposively selected respondents who are either researchers/ academia (producers of evidence) and policy/decision-makers, programme/project managers (users of evidence) in Enugu and Anambra states, southeast Nigeria. A pre-tested questionnaire was the data collection tool. Analysis was by univariate and bivariate analyses. Results The knowledge on HPSR+A was moderate and many respondents understood the importance of evidence-based decision making. Majority of researcher stated their preferred channel of dissemination of research finding to be journal publication. The mean percentage of using HPSR evidence for programme design & implementation of endemic disease among users of evidence was poor (18.8%) in both states. There is a high level of awareness of the use of evidence to inform policy across the two states and some of the respondents have used some evidence in their work. Conclusion The high level of awareness of the use of HPSR+A evidence for decision making did not translate to the significant actual use of evidence for policy making. The major reasons bordered on lack of autonomy in decision making. Hence, the existing yawning gap in use of evidence has to be bridged for a strengthening of the health system with evidence.

scholarly journals Do Personal Differences and Organizational Factors Influence Nurses’ Decision Making? A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 714-727
Author(s):  
Rana Alaseeri ◽  
Aziza Rajab ◽  
Maram Banakhar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Psychological Status ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Ministry Of Health ◽  
Qualitative Research Design

Decision-making processes (DMPs) can be altered by several factors that might impact patient outcomes. However, nurses’ views and experiences regarding the multitude of personal and organizational factors that may facilitate or inhibit their decision-making abilities have rarely been studied. Purpose: To explore the personal and organizational factors that influence nurse DMPs in clinical settings at Ministry of Health hospitals (MOH). Method: A qualitative research design was conducted. A purposive sample of 52 nurses was recruited from general and critical wards in two major Ministry of Health hospitals in Hail, Saudi Arabia. A total of eight focus groups (semi-structured interviews) were conducted to elicit participant responses. Results: In this study, the personal differences covered nurses’ experience, physical and psychological status, autonomy, communication skills, values, and cultural awareness. Organizational factors included the availability of resources, organizational support, workload, the availability of educational programs, the availability of monitoring programs, and the consistency and unity of policies, rules, and regulation applications. Conclusions: The major contribution of this study is the comprehensive illustration of influential factors at both the personal level and the organizational level that impact DMPs to achieve desired outcomes for patients and health organizations. This study utilizes a framework that could explain the nature of nurse DMPs.

scholarly journals Staying afloat: community perspectives on health system resilience in the management of pregnancy and childbirth care during floods in Cambodia

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. e002272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dell D Saulnier ◽  
Hom Hean ◽  
Dawin Thol ◽  
Por Ir ◽  
Claudia Hanson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Public Health System ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Public ◽  
Pregnancy And Childbirth ◽  
Childbirth Care

IntroductionResilient health systems have the capacity to continue providing health services to meet the community’s diverse health needs following floods. This capacity is related to how the community manages its own health needs and the community and health system’s joined capacities for resilience. Yet little is known about how community participation influences health systems resilience. The purpose of this study was to understand how community management of pregnancy and childbirth care during floods is contributing to the system’s capacity to absorb, adapt or transform as viewed through a framework on health systems resilience.MethodsEight focus group discussions and 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with community members and leaders who experienced pregnancy or childbirth during recent flooding in rural Cambodia. The data were analysed by thematic analysis and discussed in relation to the resilience framework.ResultsThe theme ‘Responsible for the status quo’ reflected the community’s responsibility to find ways to manage pregnancy and childbirth care, when neither the expectations of the health system nor the available benefits changed during floods. The theme was informed by notions on: i) developmental changes, the unpredictable nature of floods and limited support for managing care, ii) how information promoted by the public health system led to a limited decision-making space for pregnancy and childbirth care, iii) a desire for security during floods that outweighed mistrust in the public health system and iv) the limits to the coping strategies that the community prepared in case of flooding.ConclusionsThe community mainly employed absorptive strategies to manage their care during floods, relieving the burden on the health system, yet restricted support and decision-making may risk their capacity. Further involvement in decision-making for care could help improve the health system’s resilience by creating room for the community to adapt and transform when experiencing floods.

scholarly journals Visiting the “enemy”: visitation in politically unstable destinations

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Farmaki ◽  
Katerina Antoniou ◽  
Prokopis Christou
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Political Environment ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stepping Stone ◽  
Travel Decision ◽  
The Way

Purpose This study aims to examine the factors shaping the intentions of people to visit a hostile outgroup. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory, qualitative research approach was followed. Specifically, 77 semi-structured interviews with citizens of the divided island of Cyprus were conducted. Findings This study identifies several categories of visitors and non-visitors, depicted along a continuum, and concludes that there is a multiplicity of factors in the socio-political environment which influence the travel intentions of people. Originality/value This study not only imparts insights into the way travel decision-making evolves in politically unstable situations but also serves as a stepping stone towards understanding the conditions under which reconciliation between hostile nations may be encouraged by travel.

scholarly journals A Framework of Evidence-Based Decision-Making in Health System Management: Applying Best-Fit Framework Synthesis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahereh Shafaghat ◽  
Peivand Bastani ◽  
Mohammad Hasan Imani Nasab ◽  
Mohammad Amin Bahrami ◽  
Zahra Kavosi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health System ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
System Management ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Systematic Map ◽  
Public Health Decision ◽  
Secondary Study ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

Abstract Background: Scientific evidence is the basis for improving public health; decision-making without sufficient attention to evidence may lead to unpleasant consequences. In recent years, efforts have been made to create more comprehensive guidelines for evidence-based decision-making (EBDM), thus the purpose of the present study was developing a framework for EBDM to make the best decisions concerning to scare resources and too many needs. Methods: The present basic-applied research was a secondary study carried out using qualitative research method in 2019. A Systematic Scoping Review (SSR) was done for the comprehensive review of the existing published studies in this area. This method, according to Arksey and O’Malley approach, consists of five main stages and one optional stage. Results: Based on the SSR, 3751 studies from 7 databases were found, and due to the full-text screening of the studies, 30 final studies were selected for extracting the components and steps of EBDM in Health System Management (HSM). After collecting, synthesizing, and categorizing key information, the framework of EBDM in HSM is developed in the form of four general scopes of inquiring, inspecting, implementing and integrating, which includes 10 main steps and 56 sub-steps. Conclusions: The present framework tries to present a sequential systematic map to achieve evidence-based decision and policy making specially for under developed and developing countries which mostly suffer from applying update and applied evidences in their decision-making process. At the same time, it seems that the present framework tries to synthesize and integrate the fragmented elements of the other models and in this way can be tested by developed countries to improve their EBDM cycle.

scholarly journals Ethical and Social Values for Paediatric Health Technology Assessment and Drug Policy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avram E. Denburg ◽  
Mita Giacomini ◽  
Wendy Ungar ◽  
Julia Abelson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Child Health ◽  
Health Technology Assessment ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
Social Values ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Structured Interviews

Background: Public policy approaches to funding paediatric medicines in advanced health systems remain understudied. In particular, the ethical and social values dimensions of health technology assessment (HTA) and drug coverage decisions for children have received almost no attention in research or policy. Methods: To elicit and understand the social values that influence decision-making for public funding of paediatric drugs, we undertook a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a stratified purposive sample (n = 22) of stakeholders involved with or affected by drug funding decisions for children at the provincial (Ontario) and national levels in Canada. Constructivist grounded theory methodology guided data collection and thematic analysis. Results: Our study provides empirical evidence about the unique ethical and social values dimensions of HTA for children, and describes a novel social values typology for paediatric drug policy decision-making. Three principal categories of values emerged from stakeholder reflections on HTA and drug policy-making for children: procedural values, structural values, and sociocultural values. Key findings include the importance of attention to the procedural legitimacy of HTA for children, with emphasis on the inclusion of child health voices in processes of technology appraisal and policy uptake; a role for HTA institutions to consider the equity impacts of technologies, both in setting review priorities and in assessing the value of technologies for public coverage; and the potential benefits of a distinct national framework to guide drug policy for children. Conclusion: Current approaches to HTA are not well designed for the realities of child health and illness, nor the societal priorities regarding children that our study identified. This research generates new knowledge to inform decision-making on paediatric drugs by HTA institutions and government payers in Canada and other publicly-funded health systems, through insights into the relevant social values for child drug funding decisions from varied stakeholder groups.

scholarly journals Numerical turn in economic and financial reporting: Towards more independent rigor in journalistic practises

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Kapchanga
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Local Newspapers

<p>The study used qualitative research design. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews between June 2019 and March 2020 from economic and financial journalists in 10 local newspapers domiciled in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Chain-referral sampling was employed in the identification of the participants who also recruited others for the research. The data collected was exposed to an analysis where transcripts were dissected and themes identified. The themes discovered were then verified, confirmed and qualified by searching through the data and repeating the process to identify further themes and categories. </p>

Religiosity and mental health among the immigrants in Brasília

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-219
Author(s):  
Marta Helena de Freitas ◽  
Benedito Rodrigues dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Course Work ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Way

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the relations between religiosity and mental health (MH) among the immigrants living in Brasília, as per the perceptions of MH service professionals. Design/methodology/approach It is grounded in empirical qualitative research based on semi-structured interviews with 12 professionals – six psychiatrists and six psychologists working in MH services throughout Brasília. The experiences and perceptions of these professionals were analysed in the light of phenomenological assumptions, and temporally situated in the historical context of the construction of Brazil’s capital city. Findings Results show that these professionals recognize the importance of immigrant support services paying attention to issues of religiosity connected to those of MH, in spite of never having received training on the theme in their qualification course work. They are critical of the oppressive aspects of some religions, but recognize the predominance of positive effects of religiosity. Research limitations/implications Albeit exploratory by nature, and with a limited number of study subjects, the study opens the way for more in-depth investigations of this rarely addressed MH issue and recommends its application to greater numbers of professionals and other contexts. Practical implications The results can contribute to the MH policy decision-making processes for the immigrant population in Brasília and also for training the professionals working in providing care for this population. Social implications To contribute to the development of a new MH model in which professionals can adopt a more open posture in regard to the traditional pathologizing models used to address the question of religious phenomena. Originality/value Albeit exploratory in nature, this study makes a contribution by opening the way for the issue of religiosity and its impacts on MH to become the object of more in-depth investigations conducted from a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspective, targeting greater numbers of MH professionals and extended to other internal and external migratory contexts.

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