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
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2017 Jun 1;75 Suppl 2(2):S240-S247.
doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000001370.

Building Health System Capacity Through Implementation Research: Experience of INSPIRE-A Multi-country PMTCT Implementation Research Project

Morkor Newman Owiredu  1 , Nita B Bellare, Christine C Chakanyuka Musanhu, Taiwo A Oyelade, Ellen M Thom, Francoise Bigirimana, Chukwuma Anyaike, Michael T Eliya, Angela Mushavi, Eugene A Nyarko, David O Okello, Felicitas R Zawaira
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Building Health System Capacity Through Implementation Research: Experience of INSPIRE-A Multi-country PMTCT Implementation Research Project

Morkor Newman Owiredu et al. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: The INSPIRE-Integrating and Scaling Up PMTCT through Implementation REsearch-initiative was established as a model partnership of national prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) implementation research in 3 high HIV burden countries-Malawi, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. INSPIRE aimed to link local research groups with Ministries of Health (MOH), build local research capacity, and demonstrate that implementation research may contribute to improving health care delivery and respond to program challenges.

Methodology: We used a mixed methods approach to review capacity building activities, as experienced by health care workers, researchers, and trainers conducted in the 6 INSPIRE projects before and during study implementation.

Results: Between 2011 and 2016, over 3400 health care workers, research team members, and community members participated in INSPIRE activities. This included research prioritization exercises, proposal development, good clinical practice and research ethics training, data management and analysis workshops, and manuscript development. Health care workers in clinics and district health offices acknowledged the value of hosting implementation research projects and how the quality of services improved. Research teams acknowledged the opportunities that projects provided for personal development and the value of participating in a multicountry research network.

Discussion: INSPIRE provided an opportunity for African-led research in which researchers worked closely with national MOH to identify priority research questions and implement studies. Close partnerships between research teams and local implementers facilitated project responsiveness to local program issues. Consequently, processes and training needed for study implementation also improved local program management and service delivery. Additional benefits included improved data management, publications, and career development.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

References

    1. Countdown to Zero. Global Plan Towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 and Keeping Their Mothers Alive 2011–2015. Available at: http://files.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspu.... Accessed December 16, 2016.
    1. Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS Free. A Super-Fast-Track Framework for Ending AIDS Among Children, Adolescents and Young Women by 2020. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; Available at: http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/Stay_free_vision_m.... Accessed December 16, 2016.
    1. UNAIDS. Fast-Track-Ending the AIDS Epidemic by 2030. 2014. Available at: http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/JC2686_WAD2014repo.... Accessed December 16, 2016. Updated September 2014.
    1. Peters DH, Adam T, Alonge O, et al. Implementation research: what it is and how to do it. BMJ. 2013;347:f6753. - PubMed
    1. Uthman OA, Wiysonge CS, Ota MO, et al. Increasing the value of health research in the WHO African region beyond 2015-reflecting on the past, celebrating the present and building the future: a bibliometric analysis. BMJ Open. 2015;5:e006340. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances