The purpose of this guide is to describe COMDIS-HSD’s embedded approach to health research and service development, to enable it to be replicated by COMDIS-HSD partners, and other researchers.

This approach to research and development, supported by communications activity, maximizes uptake into policy and practice nationally and internationally in the following ways:

• The research addresses the priorities of the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, therefore the results will be of interest to national decision-makers.
• National decision-makers are involved in the development of research, delivery strategies and procedures to be tested, enabling dissemination and scale-up.
• Research leads to the development of practical tools that can be easily implemented and assist the development of the health service.
• This embedded operational research aims to develop effective and feasible service delivery strategies, relevant to both the local setting and other low- and middle-income countries.

Title: COMDIS-HDS ‘How to’ guide on research and development: The embedded approach Author: COMDIS-HDS Year: 2012