Health-Related Research Projects in Fiji and Papua New Guinea: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Fiji and Papua New Guinea Health Research Portals.

Abstract

Evidence-based medicine and evidence-based public health rely on the best available evidence generated in a specific area for it to be implemented in healthcare practice. This study assesses the range of research studies conducted in Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) islands by reviewing the types of studies now registered with the respective health research registry portals. We assessed all studies registered on the Fiji Health Research Portal (FHRP) and Papua New Guinea Health Research Portal (PNGHRP) since 2014 for the following details: year of registration; study type and participants; field of research; basic statistical analyses; and multicentric or single center study. A total of 99 studies were registered in the FHRP and 6 in PNGHRP during the period under review. Nearly, one fourth of the studies from Fiji and one third from PNG islands are studies evaluating various health policies without involving or collecting data from human subjects. All the registered studies in both the islands were observational (rather than experimental). A total of 58.2% of the registered studies in FHRP and 66.7% in PNGHRP were performed as student projects. A geographic scope of 21.2% of the proposed studies in FHRP and 33.3% in PNGHRP was limited to the respective islands. We conclude from the present analysis that there is a clear need for conducting more high-quality research in both Fiji and PNG in order to meet the health needs of the respective nations. More research focusing on health needs and contributing factors to both communicable and noncommunicable diseases are the need of the hour in both of these south Pacific islands.