The use of research evidence in decision-making by policymakers in the health sector is critical for enabling the formulation and implementation of the most effective policies and programmes. Despite that reality, many scholars have documented that policymakers often do not sufficiently use research evidence to inform their decisions because of several common barriers.One of the well-documented barriers to research use is the lack of knowledge and skills in finding, appraising, interpreting and applying evidence as part of the policymaking process.

In a new blog, Rose N. Oronje and Tricia Petruney, from the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), discuss the lessons learned and experiences gained during four sets of training workshops in Kenya and Malawi conducted by the SECURE Health programme in 2015 on evidence-informed policymaking.

Through these workshops, 76 policymakers comprising MoH and parliament staff from the two countries were trained. From MoH, the staff trained included technical staff responsible for conceptualizing and drafting policy and programme documents or advice; these were mainly technical staff heading divisions and units as well as the programme managers and officers who work in these divisions and units. For parliament, the staff included parliamentary researchers, committee clerks, and library staff.

Read the full blog here.