Does research through Structured Operational Research and Training (SORT IT) courses impact policy and practice?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Systems Research
• Knowledge Translation

Background:

• Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative (SORT IT) courses are recognized for their high participant completion and publication rates.
• These courses aim to build research capacity and generate evidence for policy and practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of research papers originating from six SORT IT courses (July 2012 - March 2013) on policy and practice.
• To determine the extent to which research outputs translate into tangible changes.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study design was employed.
• Data were collected via e-mail questionnaires and telephone/Skype/in-person interviews with study authors.
• A descriptive content analysis categorized the reported impacts.

Main Results:

• Of 72 participants, 63 (88%) completed the course, producing 81 submitted papers, with 76 (94%) published.
• 55% of the assessed papers (45 out of 81) contributed to policy and/or practice changes.
• Impacts included changes in government policy (national, subnational, hospital levels), non-government organizational policy, and reinforcement of existing policies.

Conclusions:

• A significant majority of research papers from SORT IT courses demonstrably influence policy and practice.
• Findings highlight the program's success in translating research into actionable changes.
• Future evaluations should incorporate more rigorous and independent verification of reported impacts across all stakeholder levels.