Strengthening and measuring research impact in global health: lessons from applying the FAIT framework

Rebecca Dodd,Blake Angell,Andrew Searles,David Peiris,Rohina Joshi,Jacqui Webster,Shanthi Ramanathan

doi:10.1186/s12961-019-0451-0

Abstract

BackgroundTo date, efforts to measure impact have largely focused on health research in high-income countries, reflecting where the majority of health research funding is spent. Nevertheless, there is a growing body of health and medical research being undertaken in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), supported by both development aid and established research funders. The Framework to Assess the Impact of Translational health research (FAIT) combines three approaches to measuring research impact (Payback, economic assessment and case study narrative). Its aim is to strengthen the focus on translation and impact measurement in health research. FAIT has been used by several Australian research initiatives; however, it has not been used in LMICs. Our aim was to apply FAIT in an LMIC context and evaluate its utility.MethodsWe retrospectively applied all three FAIT methods to two LMIC studies using available data, supplemented with group discussion and further economic analyses. Results were presented in a scorecard format.ResultsFAIT helped clarify pathways of impact for the projects and provided new knowledge on areas of impact in several domains, including capacity-building for research, policy development and economic impact. However, there were constraints, particularly associated with calculating the return on investment in the LMIC context. The case study narrative provided a layperson’s summary of the research that helped to explain outcomes and succinctly communicate lessons learnt.ConclusionUse of FAIT to assess the impact of LMIC research was both feasible and useful. We make recommendations related to prospective use, identification of metrics to support use of the Payback framework, and simplification of the economic assessment, which may facilitate further application in LMIC environments.

Highlights

To date, efforts to measure impact have largely focused on health research in high-income countries, reflecting where the majority of health research funding is spent
We carried out a rapid search for health research impact frameworks and selected the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Framework to Assess the Impact from Translational health research (FAIT)
In relation to policy development, use of the framework drew attention to networks established with policy-makers, and the learning generated on the political economy of working with the food industry in Fiji, which research project leaders were aware of but had not previously documented

Summary

Introduction

Efforts to measure impact have largely focused on health research in high-income countries, reflecting where the majority of health research funding is spent. The Framework to Assess the Impact of Translational health research (FAIT) combines three approaches to measuring research impact (Payback, economic assessment and case study narrative). Dodd et al Health Research Policy and Systems (2019) 17:48 approaches is the Payback model, introduced by Buxton and Hanney [15]. It aims to capture benefits in a range of areas such as knowledge generation, health services improvement and policy development, and has been adapted or modified a number of times [16]. Economic assessment (i.e. monetising research impacts) is widely used, though typically at high levels, for example, aggregating research benefit nationally or in specific programmes over decades [17,18,19]. Narratives have the advantage of being able to explain the complex (and often multi-directional) process through which impact occurs [7, 10, 11]

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