How are health research priorities set in low and middle income countries? A systematic review of published reports.

<h4>Background</h4>Priority setting is increasingly recognised as essential for directing finite resources to support research that maximizes public health benefits and drives health equity. Priority setting processes have been undertaken in a number of low- and middle-income country (LM...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Skye McGregor, Klara J Henderson, John M Kaldor
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108787
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850076508536700928
author Skye McGregor
Klara J Henderson
John M Kaldor
author_facet Skye McGregor
Klara J Henderson
John M Kaldor
author_sort Skye McGregor
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>Priority setting is increasingly recognised as essential for directing finite resources to support research that maximizes public health benefits and drives health equity. Priority setting processes have been undertaken in a number of low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings, using a variety of methods. We undertook a critical review of reports of these processes.<h4>Methods and findings</h4>We searched electronic databases and online for peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed literature. We found 91 initiatives that met inclusion criteria. The majority took place at the global level (46%). For regional or national initiatives, most focused on Sub Saharan Africa (49%), followed by East Asia and Pacific (20%) and Latin America and the Caribbean (18%). A quarter of initiatives aimed to cover all areas of health research, with a further 20% covering communicable diseases. The most frequently used process was a conference or workshop to determine priorities (24%), followed by the Child Health and Nutrition Initiative (CHNRI) method (18%). The majority were initiated by an international organization or collaboration (46%). Researchers and government were the most frequently represented stakeholders. There was limited evidence of any implementation or follow-up strategies. Challenges in priority setting included engagement with stakeholders, data availability, and capacity constraints.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Health research priority setting (HRPS) has been undertaken in a variety of LMIC settings. While not consistently used, the application of established methods provides a means of identifying health research priorities in a repeatable and transparent manner. In the absence of published information on implementation or evaluation, it is not possible to assess what the impact and effectiveness of health research priority setting may have been.
format Article
id doaj-art-a46a622c01b14114bd381e57ca8d861b
institution DOAJ
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2014-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-a46a622c01b14114bd381e57ca8d861b2025-08-20T02:46:01ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0199e10878710.1371/journal.pone.0108787How are health research priorities set in low and middle income countries? A systematic review of published reports.Skye McGregorKlara J HendersonJohn M Kaldor<h4>Background</h4>Priority setting is increasingly recognised as essential for directing finite resources to support research that maximizes public health benefits and drives health equity. Priority setting processes have been undertaken in a number of low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings, using a variety of methods. We undertook a critical review of reports of these processes.<h4>Methods and findings</h4>We searched electronic databases and online for peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed literature. We found 91 initiatives that met inclusion criteria. The majority took place at the global level (46%). For regional or national initiatives, most focused on Sub Saharan Africa (49%), followed by East Asia and Pacific (20%) and Latin America and the Caribbean (18%). A quarter of initiatives aimed to cover all areas of health research, with a further 20% covering communicable diseases. The most frequently used process was a conference or workshop to determine priorities (24%), followed by the Child Health and Nutrition Initiative (CHNRI) method (18%). The majority were initiated by an international organization or collaboration (46%). Researchers and government were the most frequently represented stakeholders. There was limited evidence of any implementation or follow-up strategies. Challenges in priority setting included engagement with stakeholders, data availability, and capacity constraints.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Health research priority setting (HRPS) has been undertaken in a variety of LMIC settings. While not consistently used, the application of established methods provides a means of identifying health research priorities in a repeatable and transparent manner. In the absence of published information on implementation or evaluation, it is not possible to assess what the impact and effectiveness of health research priority setting may have been.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108787
spellingShingle Skye McGregor
Klara J Henderson
John M Kaldor
How are health research priorities set in low and middle income countries? A systematic review of published reports.
PLoS ONE
title How are health research priorities set in low and middle income countries? A systematic review of published reports.
title_full How are health research priorities set in low and middle income countries? A systematic review of published reports.
title_fullStr How are health research priorities set in low and middle income countries? A systematic review of published reports.
title_full_unstemmed How are health research priorities set in low and middle income countries? A systematic review of published reports.
title_short How are health research priorities set in low and middle income countries? A systematic review of published reports.
title_sort how are health research priorities set in low and middle income countries a systematic review of published reports
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108787
work_keys_str_mv AT skyemcgregor howarehealthresearchprioritiessetinlowandmiddleincomecountriesasystematicreviewofpublishedreports
AT klarajhenderson howarehealthresearchprioritiessetinlowandmiddleincomecountriesasystematicreviewofpublishedreports
AT johnmkaldor howarehealthresearchprioritiessetinlowandmiddleincomecountriesasystematicreviewofpublishedreports