Perspectives on the role of stakeholders in knowledge translation in health policy development in Uganda
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Date
2013
Authors
Nabyonga Orem, Juliet
Marchal, Bruno
Mafigiri, David K.
Ssengooba, Freddie
Macq, Jean
da Silveira, Valeria C.
Criel, Bart
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC Health Services Research
Abstract
Stakeholder roles in the application of evidence are influenced by context, the nature of the
evidence, the policy development process, and stakeholder interactions. Past research has highlighted the role of
stakeholders in knowledge translation (KT) without paying adequate attention to the peculiarities of low-income
countries. Here we identify the roles, relations, and interactions among the key stakeholders involved in KT in
Uganda and the challenges that they face.
Methods: This study employed qualitative approaches to examine the roles of and links among various
stakeholders in KT. In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 key informants and focused on the key actors in
KT, their perceived roles, and challenges.
Results: Major stakeholders included civil society organizations with perceived roles of advocacy, community
mobilization, and implementation. These stakeholders may ignore unconvincing evidence. The community’s role
was perceived as advocacy and participation in setting research priorities. The key role of the media was perceived
as knowledge dissemination, but respondents noted that the media may misrepresent evidence if it is received in a
poorly packaged form. The perceived roles of policy makers were evidence uptake, establishing platforms for KT
and stewardship; negative roles included ignoring or even misrepresenting evidence that is not in their favor. The
roles of parliamentarians were perceived as advocacy and community mobilization, but they were noted to pursue
objectives that may not be supported by the evidence. The researchers’ main role was defined as evidence
generation, but focusing disproportionately on academic interests was cited as a concern. The donors’ main role was
defined as funding research and KT, but respondents were concerned about the local relevance of donor-supported
research. Respondents reported that links among stakeholders were weak due to the absence of institutionalized,
inclusive platforms. Challenges facing the stakeholders in the process of KT were identified.
Description
Keywords
Research, Uptake, Policy, Practice, Roles, Stakeholders, Uganda, Low-income countries
Citation
Nabyonga Orem, J., Marchal, B., Mafigiri, D., Ssengooba, F., Macq, J., Da Silveira, V. C., & Criel, B. (2013). Perspectives on the role of stakeholders in knowledge translation in health policy development in Uganda. BMC Health Services Research, 13(1), 1-13.