Do Research Summaries Meet Immunisation Managers' Needs?
Author Information
Author(s): Bosch-Capblanch Xavier, Kelly Marion, Garner Paul
Primary Institution: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
Hypothesis
Do existing research summaries on health systems match immunisation managers' needs in middle- and low-income countries?
Conclusion
Relevant, high quality research summaries were found for few of the topics identified by managers.
Supporting Evidence
- Thirty topics were identified and grouped into three thematic areas: health workforce, organisation and management, and supply, distribution and maintenance.
- Only 12 of the 39 countries with available national surveys referred to them in their proposals.
- 51 potentially relevant systematic reviews were found, but few were categorized as highly relevant for policy.
Takeaway
The study looked at whether research summaries help managers in low-income countries improve vaccination systems, and found that they often don't.
Methodology
Analyzed 44 health systems strengthening proposals submitted to GAVI and reviewed existing systematic reviews related to the identified topics.
Limitations
Only a limited number of high-quality reviews were found, and many proposals did not utilize available national survey data.
Participant Demographics
Proposals were primarily from countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website