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Chapter 14 - Health Policy and Systems Research: The Role of Implementation Research

from Section 1 - Analyzing Health Systems: Concepts, Components, Performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 December 2022

By
David H. Peters  and
Olakunle Alonge
Edited by
Sameen Siddiqi ,
Awad Mataria ,
Katherine D. Rouleau  and
Meesha Iqbal
Sameen Siddiqi
Affiliation:
Aga Khan University
Awad Mataria
Affiliation:
World Health Organization, Egypt
Katherine D. Rouleau
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Meesha Iqbal
Affiliation:
UTHealth School of Public Health, Houston
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Summary

This chapter highlights how the evolving field of implementation research is being used to address problems of implementation of health policies, programs, practices, and technologies in low and middle-income countries (L&MICs). Implementation research offers a way to understand and address implementation challenges and contribute to building stronger health systems within the realities of specific and changing contexts. It is used to assess how and why interventions work, including the feasibility, adoption, and acceptance of interventions and their coverage, quality, equity, efficiency, scale, and sustainability. A well-designed research question is critical to successful implementation research, and provides the basis for choosing the research methods and how likely the research will influence policy and practice. In describing the theories, frameworks and tools used in implementation research, they are shown to be well suited to address inter-dependent and complex problems around improving people’s wellbeing – a critical mandate for achieving Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Keywords

Implementation researchImplementation scienceHealth Policy and Systems ResearchMulti-disciplinary researchPerformance managementOperational researchEvidence-based medicineResearch questionsTheoriesFrameworksL&MICResearch design
Type
Chapter
Information
Making Health Systems Work in Low and Middle Income Countries
Textbook for Public Health Practitioners
 , pp. 208 - 224
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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