Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the discussion so far. We now enter our final week and we invite you to comment on question 5:
Q5. What can be done to better support researchers in the communication of health research?
Here are some suggestions to date:
Emily Vargas (Mexico): Some strategies:
1. That researchers and research centers make executive summaries of the research results, in plain language and be spread in different ways.
2. Creation of a team specialized in promoting the use of evidence in decision-making in health, which has the ability not only to lobby, but also to identify
Hajime Takeuchi (Japan) says:
I think that solidarity with international society is important. In the Japanese medical community, there is a strong tendency to evaluate cutting-edge technologies such as iPS cells and genetic research and clinical medicine such as emergency medicine. Human resources development related to public health is not emphasised, the domestic sociological society is small, and the pediatric community has not yet formed an appropriate recognition of the field of social paediatrics. In such a situation, the Japanese medical community needs to incorporate the perspective of medicine as a social science that understands health problems in society. I think bringing in a wind of information from international organisations is essential.
A point I have learned from this discussion is the importance of perspective. The perspective that has introduced our discussion is implied in the question: What are the most impactful methods for researchers to communicate their research to policymakers so that the research is seen and applied? We have had suggestions on how researchers might do this. In terms of 'What can be done to better support researchers' in this regard, something that seems to be missing is reliable *guidance* for researchers. We look forward to hear about any guidance of which you may be aware. There are organisations and projects such as The Global Health Network and INASP's AuthorAid, which are dedicated to supporting researchers. Perhaps they can steer us in the right direction.
But there is another perspective that we have discussed that is perhaps more important: the public health perspective whereby the end goal is not to increase the visibility of a particular piece of research, but to contribute to a wider effort to support evidence-informed policymaking (which arguably is the surest way to improve health outcomes). This emphasises the collaborative nature and potential of health research.
Perhaps we need to be thinking of ways to promote both perspectives?
What do you think?
Best wishes, Neil
Joint Coordinator, HIFA Communicating health research
https://www.hifa.org/projects/new-effective-communication-health-researc...
Let's build a future where every person has access to reliable healthcare information and is protected from misinformation - Join HIFA: www.hifa.org
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of the HIFA global health movement (Healthcare Information For All - www.hifa.org ), a global community with more than 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting on six global forums in four languages in collaboration with WHO. HIFA brings stakeholders together to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK based non-profit in official relations with the World Health Organization.
Twitter: @hifa_org neil@hifa.org
