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The Time to Act Is Now: Strengthening Health Systems Research Capacity, Capability and Knowledge Translation in
Alexandra Edelman1,2, Sam Moore1,3, Karrina DeMasi4
1Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.
Context:
Communities in remote Australia face poorer health outcomes but are largely recipients of services, programs and policies that are disconnected from local experiences and priorities, with some notable exceptions. Local-level research capacity, capability and knowledge translation that respond to community and service provider priorities are key to strengthening remote health systems.
Aim:
To explore two questions: (1) What is needed to strengthen health systems research capacity and capability in remote Australia? (2) How can we, as a community of remote health systems researchers, enhance knowledge translation in remote Australia to address persistent health disparities?
Approach:
Sixty-five remote health systems stakeholders, including service providers, funders, researchers, and policymakers participated in a research capacity building and knowledge translation workshop in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) in 2024. They identified actions to address barriers to remote health systems research and knowledge translation. We reflect on these to highlight opportunities for policy action and learning.
Conclusion:
Barriers to community and service-driven research have been recognised for decades, yet feedback from remote service providers and researchers suggests that little has changed systemically despite pockets of innovation. The time to act is now. Action must include creating funding schemes that provide for cohesive and sustained investment in remote-based health systems research partnerships that involve industry partners-especially Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) to contribute to Closing the Gap in health outcomes. Partnerships must respond directly to community and service provider priorities, create Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researcher career pathways, and leverage respective partners' institutional strengths to create learning health systems. Individual ACCHSs' experiences and context-responsive principles for engaging with remote Aboriginal communities provide guidance and lessons for other services and researchers nation-wide.
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