Assessing the Impact of Health Research
Author Information
Author(s): Rita Banzi, Lorenzo Moja, Vanna Pistotti, Andrea Facchini, Alessandro Liberati
Primary Institution: Centro Cochrane Italiano, Istituto Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milano, Italia
Hypothesis
How can the impact of health research be effectively assessed?
Conclusion
A comprehensive conceptual framework for assessing research impact is still lacking, and its components are valued differently across models.
Supporting Evidence
- Twenty-two reports were identified belonging to four systematic reviews and 14 primary studies.
- Five broad categories of impact were identified: advancing knowledge, capacity building, informing decision-making, health benefits, and broad socio-economic benefits.
- The 'payback model' was the most frequently used framework for assessing research impact.
Takeaway
This study looks at how we can measure the good things that come from health research, like better health and smarter decisions. It finds that we still need a better way to do this.
Methodology
The authors systematically searched literature and included systematic reviews, theoretical papers, and empirical case studies on evaluating research impact.
Potential Biases
Retrospective studies may lead to selective recall or reporting bias, focusing more on positive results.
Limitations
The study retrieval process faced challenges due to the lack of standard terminology and the heterogeneity of definitions for 'research impact'.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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