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. 2022 Jul 30;11(1):154.
doi: 10.1186/s13643-022-02021-3.

Paper 1: Demand-driven rapid reviews for health policy and systems decision-making: lessons from Lebanon, Ethiopia, and South Africa on researchers and policymakers' experiences

Rhona M Mijumbi-Deve  1   2   3 , Ismael Kawooya  4   5 , Edward Kayongo  4   5 , Rose Izizinga  4 , Hadis Mamuye  6 , Krystle Amog  7 , Etienne V Langlois  8
Affiliations

Paper 1: Demand-driven rapid reviews for health policy and systems decision-making: lessons from Lebanon, Ethiopia, and South Africa on researchers and policymakers' experiences

Rhona M Mijumbi-Deve et al. Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Background: Rapid reviews have emerged as an approach to provide contextualized evidence in a timely and efficient manner. Three rapid review centers were established in Ethiopia, Lebanon, and South Africa through the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, to stimulate demand, engage policymakers, and produce rapid reviews to support health policy and systems decision-making. This study aimed to assess the experiences of researchers and policymakers engaged in producing and using rapid reviews for health systems strengthening and decisions towards universal health coverage (UHC).

Methods: Using a case study approach with qualitative research methods, experienced researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with respondents from each center (n = 16). The topics covered included the process and experience of establishing the centers, stimulating demand for rapid reviews, collaborating between researchers and policymakers, and disseminating and using rapid reviews for health policies and interventions and the potential for sustaining and institutionalizing the services. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Major themes interacted and contributed to shape the experiences of stakeholders of the rapid review centers, including the following: organizational structural arrangements of the centers, management of their processes as input factors, and the rapid reviews as the immediate policy-relevant outputs. The engagement process and the rapid review products contributed to a final theme of impact of the rapid review centers in relation to the uptake of evidence for policy and systems decision-making.

Conclusions: The experiences of policymakers and researchers of the rapid review centers determined the uptake of evidence. The findings of this study can inform policymakers, health system managers, and researchers on best practices for demanding, developing and using rapid reviews to support decision- and policymaking, and implementing the universal healthcare coverage agenda.

Keywords: Health policy and systems research; LMICs; Rapid response services; Rapid review; Universal health coverage.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Profiles of respondents of the rapid review center evaluation in the three countries
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A figurative representation of the factors contributing to the experiences of researchers and policymakers of rapid review centers in Lebanon, South Africa, and Ethiopia
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Types of questions received by EBHC from the Ministry of Health directorates during the pilot of the rapid review center
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Type of questions received by SAMRC from the district Departments of Health during the pilot of the rapid review center
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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