Increasing the Chances of Success

Communicating Research Findings to Policymakers

Suneeta Sharma, PhD; MHA October 2012

Satellite Session: Strengthening

Research on Policy

Implementation and Why it

Matters to Health Outcomes

Conduct problem-oriented and policy relevant research

Engage policymakers in priority setting and research

Know Your Audience: who has the power to take action

Focus the Message: concise and actionable

Choose the Appropriate Level of Communication: delivering the message and triggering the action

Effective Communication Maximizing the Impact of Research on Policies

Policy Research Provides solid and t imely

empirical data

Identif ies trends

Anticipates potential challenges

Improves measurement capabil i t ies

Evaluates policy effectiveness

Policy Communication Simplify, translate, and

communicate effectively Keep it short and to the point Use colors and visuals in

materials Create trust and credibi l i ty Be honest about underlying

assumptions

Use sensitivity analyses to show a range of potential strategies and outcomes

Make sure that data source is credible

Transfer knowledge: two-way communication

Communicating with Policymakers

Concise evidence-based briefs that respond to policymakers’ data needs

Engaging visuals that are easy to understand and allow data to have impact

Videos and personal stories and testimonials that inspire action

Appropriate Communication Methods

Moving Policy to Action

Policy Dialogue

& Advocacy

Addressing Barriers

Action Planning

Implementation of Strategies

Scale Up & Sustainability

M&E and Accountability

Data Analysis and Use

Policy & Strategy

Development

Leadership & Governance

Resource Mobilization

Require policy attention

Understand issues and goals

Gravity: size, trend, consequences

Distribution: geographic, rural/urban, Socio-Economic Status

Importance and urgency of taking action

Benefits of taking action

Consequence of inaction

Problem Identif ication

Problem Identification

Below Poverty LineAbove Poverty Line

54 Million Live in Poverty in UP

65.3

94.2

135.4

35.2 51.3

61.8

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

NeonatalMortality

Infant Mortality Under-5 Mortality

Neonatal, Infant, and Under-5 Mortality among the Poorest and Wealthiest

Quintiles in UP

Poorest Quintile Wealthiest Quintile

Source: Planning Commission. 2011. Press Note on Poverty Estimates for 2004-05, GOI; NFHS-3, Uttar Pradesh, 2005-06

13 24 28 44 38 62 55 58 81

97 104

148 178

269 318

390

64.4 61.1

65.1 63.3 63.2

57.8 58.1

48.6

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

050

100150200250300350400450500

CPR

- %

MM

R a

nd IM

R

IMR, 2010 MMR, 2009 CPR, 2008-09

Family Planning Saves Lives As Contraceptive Use Rises Maternal and Infant Deaths Decl ine

Sources: CPR from DLHS – 3, IMR and MMR from SRS

Achieving the MDGs will be easier if investments are made in FP in Madagascar

US$26 million

US$76 million

Primary education: Savings with slower population growth in Kenya

Cumulative Savings US$772 Million

Exp

endi

ture

s ($

US

Mill

ions

)

High Fertility

Low Fertility

Identify several feasible policy and program options that could address the problem

Describe positive and negative effects of the options

Describe the key elements, cost-effectiveness, and experiences with different options

Identify implementation considerations

Describe the effects of appropriately targeted implementation studies

Policy Formulation

Photo by Steven w Belcher.

Goal Setting: Uttarakhand’s Health and Population Policy

Characteristics Fast Medium (Proposed) Slow

Year 2005-06 –CPR* –Prop of 3+ births –TFR

Year 2012 –CPR* –Prop of 3+ births –TFR

Year 2017 –CPR* –Prop of 3+ births –TFR

Year 2020 –CPR* –Prop of 3+ births –TFR

55.5 39.0 2.55

67.7 33.3 2.10

70.6 25.3 1.97

73.0 22.8 1.90

55.5 39.0 2.55

57.9 36.3 2.35

67.7 32.8 2.10

72.6 23.5 1.94

55.5 39.0 2.55

57.7 37.5 2.42

60.5 34.6 2.26

67.7 32.6 2.10

Assess the extent and nature of policy implementation

Identify facil itators for and barriers to policy implementation

Increase access and delivery of new and improved tools, strategies and interventions

Inspire dialogue and renewed commitment on the way forward

Policy Implementation

Service Delivery

Health Workforce

Information

Medical Products, Vaccines, Technologies

Financing

Leadership & Governance

Cost implications of WHO ART guideline changes

Number of people eligible for treatment in Cameroon

Ghana faces a resource gap for HIV and AIDS

Prioritization for Partnership Framework and NSP in Lesotho

$0

$50

$100

$150

$200

$250

Needs Prevention Priority

Treatment Priority Cost Effective Priority

Mill

ions

of U

S$

SupportMitigationTreatmentPrevention

-51% -51% +30% -51% New Infections

90% 61% 90% 65% ART coverage

Outline systems to track service delivery and health outcomes

Regularly evaluate performance to assess how implementation is going

Inform mid-course corrections

Ensure that stakeholders are accountable for achieving policy goals

Measure impact and inform scale up

Policy Monitoring

Pho

to b

y D

ietm

ar T

emps

Service Uptake among Currently Married Women under Voucher System

26.7

34.8 30.8

53.3

38.5 36

43

54

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Use of moderncontraceptive use

Institutional delivery

Perc

enta

ge

Agra (rural) Baseline, 2006 Agra (rural) Endline, 2009Kanpur Nagar (slum) Baseline, 2006 Kanpur Nagar (slum) Endline, 2011

Source: IFPS Technical Assistance Project (ITAP). 2012. Sambhav: Vouchers Make High-Quality Reproductive Health Services Possible for India’s Poor. Gurgaon, Haryana: Futures Group, ITAP.

The right information in the right format in the right hands at the right t ime and place

www.healthpolicyproject.com

Thank You

The Health Policy Project is a five-year cooperative agreement funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-A-10-00067, beginning September 30, 2010. It is implemented by Futures Group, the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), Futures Institute, Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO), Population Reference Bureau (PRB), Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, and the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA).