Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Mar 8;4(5):285-93.
doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2015.52.

Evidence for informing health policy development in Low-income Countries (LICs): perspectives of policy actors in Uganda

Juliet Nabyonga-Orem  1 , Rhona Mijumbi  2   3
Affiliations

Evidence for informing health policy development in Low-income Countries (LICs): perspectives of policy actors in Uganda

Juliet Nabyonga-Orem et al. Int J Health Policy Manag. .

Abstract

Background: Although there is a general agreement on the benefits of evidence informed health policy development given resource constraints especially in Low-Income Countries (LICs), the definition of what evidence is, and what evidence is suitable to guide decision-making is still unclear. Our study is contributing to filling this knowledge gap. We aimed to explore health policy actors' views regarding what evidence they deemed appropriate to guide health policy development.

Methods: Using exploratory qualitative methods, we conducted interviews with 51 key informants using an in-depth interview guide. We interviewed a diverse group of stakeholders in health policy development and knowledge translation in the Uganda health sector. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis techniques.

Results: Different stakeholders lay emphasis on different kinds of evidence. While donors preferred international evidence and Ministry of Health (MoH) officials looked to local evidence, district health managers preferred local evidence, evidence from routine monitoring and evaluation, and reports from service providers. Service providers on the other hand preferred local evidence and routine monitoring and evaluation reports whilst researchers preferred systematic reviews and clinical trials. Stakeholders preferred evidence covering several aspects impacting on decision-making highlighting the fact that although policy actors look for factual information, they also require evidence on context and implementation feasibility of a policy decision.

Conclusion: What LICs like Uganda categorize as evidence suitable for informing policy encompasses several types with no consensus on what is deemed as most appropriate. Evidence must be of high quality, applicable, acceptable to the users, and informing different aspects of decision-making.

Keywords: Evidence; Health Policy Development; Policy Actors.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Graham ID, Logan J, Harrison MB, Straus SE, Tetroe J, Caswell W. et al. Lost in knowledge translation: time for a map? J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2006;26:13–24. doi: 10.1002/chp.47. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Choi BC, Pang T, Lin V, Puska P, Sherman G, Goddard M. et al. Evidence based public health policy and practice: Can scientists and policy makers work together? J Epidemiol Community Health. 2005;59:632–7. doi: 10.1136/jech.2004.031765. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lomas J, Culyer T, McCutcheon C, McAuley L, Law S. Conceptualizing and Combining evidence for health system guidance [internet]. Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, 2005. Available from: http://www.cfhi-fcass.ca/migrated/pdf/insightAction/evidence_e.pdf.
    1. Aaserud M, Lewin S, Innvaer S, Paulsen EJ, Dahlgren AT, Trommald M. et al. Translating research into policy and practice in developing countries: a case study of magnesium sulphate for pre-eclampsia. BMC Health Serv Res. 2005;5:68. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Varkevisser CM, Mwaluko GM, Le Grand A. Research in action: the training approach of the Joint Health Systems Research Project for the Southern African Region. Health Policy Plan. 2001;16:281–91. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources