Measuring research capacity development in healthcare workers: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Medical Education
• Research Capacity Development

Background:

• A significant barrier to advancing health research capacity development (HRCD) is the absence of empirical methods to measure competencies and identify skill gaps.
• Effective tools are needed to assess individual healthcare workers' research skills, informing targeted interventions and promoting locally led research initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify and review existing tools designed to measure individual healthcare workers' capacities for conducting research.
• To inform the development of effective strategies for health research capacity development.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review and narrative synthesis was conducted, adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
• Searches were performed across 11 databases and Google Scholar, including English-language publications from inception to January 2020.
• Studies employing qualitative, mixed, or quantitative methods to assess individual-level HRCD in healthcare workers were included.

Main Results:

• 16 papers were selected, detailing various tools for measuring HRCD in healthcare workers at the individual level.
• The 'Research Capacity and Culture' tool and 'Research Spider' tool were frequently identified.
• Most tools assessed individual capacity, with many also measuring team/organizational levels or perceived barriers/motivators.

Conclusions:

• Current capacity building often relies on generic pre/post-intervention evaluations, lacking specific measurement tools.
• There is a critical need to differentiate between measuring training outcomes and promoting genuine HRCD.
• The review underscores a lack of globally applicable, standardized tools for consistent measurement of research competencies.