Dear HIFA colleagues,
I would like to update you on progress with the SUPPORT-SYSTEMS project, which HIFA is part of.
SUPPORT-SYSTEMS is a major research project (2022-2025) supported by the Norwegian Research Council. It includes the University of Ghana, the Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the University of Oslo, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. We are using primary and secondary research approaches to explore the question: ‘How can decision-making processes for health systems strengthening and universal health coverage be made more inclusive, responsive and accountable?’
HIFA was invited to contribute because of our successful track record of facilitating deep-dive, multistakeholder discussions on the HIFA forums (for a description of how these work, see HIFA Projects: www.hifa.org/projects ). Many of you have already contributed to our SUPPORT-SYSTEM discussions. HIFA’s role is described in more detail here: https://www.hifa.org/projects/support-systems-how-can-decision-making-pr...
HIFA discussions have helped inform the work throughout, including the protocol for the Cochrane qualitative evidence synthesis ‘Exploring the use of evidence from civil society in health policy processes’ which was published in June 2024: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD015810/infor... We anticipate that a completed review will be submitted in January 2025.
Professor Unni Gopinathan, Principal Investigator for the consortium writes: “Involving key users of knowledge in research projects is crucial for ensuring the research is responsive to their needs and has a meaningful impact. However, accessing different groups of users is often challenging. HIFA has been a dynamic platform for building relationships with individuals from diverse professional backgrounds and roles within health systems worldwide, enabling the collection of insights that would have otherwise been difficult to obtain. The HIFA discussion forum has been especially valuable, enabling the research project to explore concepts and assumptions, and to understand how the research questions resonate with on-the-ground realities through the insights of individuals with relevant experiences. I highly recommend partnering with HIFA for research collaborations and will definitely do so again for future research proposals.”
Many of the research team are present this week at the Global Evidence Summit in Prague, where the SUPPORT-SYSTEM project is being presented. Do let us know if you are there and I shall help put you in touch. The team will also be presenting at the HSR Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Nagasaki, 18-20 November 2024 (https://hsr2024.healthsystemsresearch.org/), with an interactive workshop during the conference – “Advancing equity and inclusion in health systems through increased use of civil society knowledge”.
With thanks to all who have taken part in this initiative.
All HIFA members: We invite you to propose a *new* HIFA Project on the global health priority of your choice. HIFA facilitates in-depth discussions on priority global health topics. HIFA's role is to leverage the HIFA community (20,000 members in 180 countries) to explore the issues. Read more about HIFA Projects here: www.hifa.org/projects
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
