Quality of Research Supported
by SEARO in countries of the
Region
By
Professor Ranjit Roy Chaudhury
WHO-SEA ACHR
BANGKOK
12 October 2011
1
PROPOSALS AND REPORTS
REVIEWED
 BANGLADESH
– 15
 INDIA
- 23
 MYANMAR
- 22
 THAILAND
- 06
A total of 66 projects and reports
2
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
 Relevance
of project to the national
health priorities
 Quality
of design of proposal
 Whether
ethical clearance requested
 Completion
of project
3
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
 Presentation
 Publication
of results at meetings
of results of research
 Communication
of results to
government
 Policy
change if any caused by
research
4
QUALITY OF DESIGN
 Objectives
of study
 Hypothesis
 Methodology
 Expected
outcome
5
OVERVIEW OF ASSESSMENT FOR
ALL FOUR COUNTRIES
 RELEVENCE
OF PROPOSAL - High
Relevance
 DESIGN – Many projects well designed
- Always room for improvement
 ETHICAL CLEARANCE – Poor awareness
- Need for improvement in all countries
- 14 out of 66 proposals did not need
clearance
- Only 18 out of 52 proposals mentioned the
need for approval
6
OVERVIEW OF ASSESSMENT
WITH THIS LIMITED
INFORMATION
OF PROJECTS – A
large number of projects had not been
completed
 PRESENTATION OF RESULTS AT
MEETINGS – This was low
- Needs improvement
 PUBLICATIONS FROM RESEARCH –
More emphasis needs to be placed on
this
- Generally poor
 COMPLETION
7
OVERVIEW OF ASSESSMENT
 CHANGE
-
IN POLICY
Of the 22 completed projects results of
5 sent on to the government
Change of policy in place from 4 of
these
Very encouraging
8
WEAKNESSES IN THE
STUDY
*
In spite of all efforts proposals and reports of
projects supported by SEARO could only be
obtained from 4 countries
*
No proposals received from Indonesia, Nepal
and Sri Lanka
*
Possible that information sent to SEARO was
incomplete or not up to date
*
Every effort was made to obtain up to date
information
*
Appears that improvement needed in information9
RESULTS
•
Presented country wise
•
Not meant to be a comparison between
countries
•
Objective is to learn where
strengthening is needed
•
Concentrate in future on these areas
10
PROPOSALS
•
•
•
66 project proposals received
24 project details complete in all
respects
All projects were assessed according to
information provided
Proposals
24
Total
Complete in
all respects
66
11
BANGLADESH
•
15 Proposals received
•
All were only at proposal stage
•
Assessment was therefore possible only
for –

- RELEVANCE

- DESIGN

- ETHICS
12
BANGLADESH
 RELEVANCE
•
All proposals were relevant to needs
and prriorities of country
•
5 out of 15 were highly relevant
13
EXAMPLE OF HIGHLY
RELEVANT PROPOSALS
•
Prevalence on injury related disability in
manikgunj district of bangladesh
•
Study to measure the intensity and
incidence of catastrophic health care
costs and impact on family budgets
•
Therapeutic efficacy of artemether in
falciparum malaria
14
BANGLADESH
 DESIGN
OF PROPOSALS
•
Quality of design found to be good in 14
proposals
•
Improvement in design possible
15
BANGLADESH
 ETHICAL
CLEARANCE
•
2 out of 15 proposals did not need
ethical clearance
•
8 out of 13 proposals needing clearance
mentioned this in their proposal
16
PROPOSAL WHICH DID NOT NEED
ETHICAL CLEARANCE
Fiscal space assessment of
Bangladesh health, nutrition and
population sector
17
INDIA
•
23 proposals were received
4
PROJECTS
COMPLETED
11
8
PROJECTS
ONGOING
ONLY
PROPOSALS
18
INDIA
 RELEVANCE
•
8 proposals were found very relevant
•
9 proposals were also relevant
•
In total 17 out of 23 were relevant to the
needs of the country
19
INDIA
 Examples
of high relevance studies
•
Validation of haemoglobin colour scale
for haemoglobin estimation
•
Estimation of malaria disease burden in
Jharkhand
•
Community based interactions study for
cardiovascular risk reduction in Kerala
20
INDIA
 DESIGN
•
Well designed proposals - 7
•
Average but acceptable design - 8
•
Design poor and improvement needed 8
21
INDIA
 ETHICAL CLEARANCE
•
17 out of the 23 proposals needed
ethical approval
•
4 proposals mentioned ethical
clearance in proposal
•
Could be that clearance was taken later
22
INDIA
 Examples
of proposals which did not
need ethical clearance
•
Market study of alternatives of mercury
measuring devices in health care in
India
•
Feasibility study to develop healthy
work place in the industrial settings in
23
INDIA
•
Presentation of results at meetings
2/11 studies presented
•
Publication of results
No publications mentioned
•
Communication of results to government
Results of 3 out of 11 completed projects
Sent to government
•
Policy change
Policy change expected in two
24
MYANMAR
 Proposals
and requests
•
22 proposals received
•
9 were completed proposals
•
Assessment carried out on all aspects
of 9 proposals
25
RELEVANCE
•
Proposals with high relevance - 9
•
Proposals with average relevance -12
26
EXAMPLES OF HIGH RELEVANCE
PROGRAMMES
•
Therapeutic efficacy of Myanmar
traditional anti malarial drug (MTM-61-a)
for treatment of uncomplicated p.
Falciparum malaria
•
Antibiotic sensitivity monitoring of
bacterial diarrhoeal diseases in central
Myanmar
27
DESIGN
•
Proposals with good design -
•
Proposals with average design - 2
4
28
EXAMPLES OF PROPOSALS
WITH GOOD DESIGN
•
Identification of different causal
organisms of oral and respiratory
diseases by saliva and sputum cytology
•
Research on utilization pattern of
traditional medicine in a rural
community of Pymoo and Naungeho
29
ETHICAL APPROVAL
•
Total proposals – 22
•
Proposals needing clearance – 20
•
Proposals which contained component
of ethical clearance - 11
30
ETHICAL CLEARANCE NOT
NEEDED
Determination of in vitro anti TB
activity of traditional medicine
formulations and plants
31
RESULTS
Presentation at scientific meeting - 1
The
problem of MDR-TB in HIV patients
32
RESULTS
Publications - Nil
Findings sent to government - 1
•
Study on assessment of physical and
mental health of adolescents in various
disorders
•
Change in policy - not yet but expected
33
THAILAND
•
Proposals received-
6
•
Completed projects-
2
•
Ongoing projects -
3
•
Proposal stage -
1
34
RELEVANCE
 High
relevance – 2
•
Role of health technology assessment
evidence in decision making - human
papilloma vaccine
•
Continuing T B treatment upon being
released from prison
35
DESIGN
•
Two proposals -very good
•
Four proposals - adequate
36
VERY GOOD DESIGN
•
Role of health technology assessment
in decision making
•
An assessment of the thai national
health research system
37
THAILAND
 Ethical
Clearance
•
4 out of 6 proposals needed ethical
clearance
•
Only 1 proposal mentioned ethical
clearance
38
PROPOSAL FOR WHICH ETHICAL
CLEARANCE OBTAINED
 Continuing
T B treatment after
release from prison
39
ASSESSMENT
•
Completion of projects – 2
 Presentation
at meetings
Results of both completed projects
presented at meetings
40
ASSESSMENT
* Publications
no evidence of any publication
 Results
communicated to government results of both projects sent to
government
 Policy
change
policy change under consideration due
41
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
 Relevance
– good
 Design
- could be better
 Ethical
clearance - very poor
 Completion
- large number of projects not
completed
42
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
 Presentation
at scientific meetings – low
 Publications
– low. More emphasis needed
 Presentation
of results to government-
not adequate
 Policy
change - good reactions when
results sent to government
43
RECOMMENDATIONS
•
Research methodology training courses
•
Create awareness of need of ethical
clearance in research proposals
•
Presentation at meetings essential
•
Publications should be made part of the
project
44
RECOMMENDATIONS
•
Summary reports to government to be
always sent
•
Help needed to researchers for doing all
this should be provided
•
Documentation and data storage to be
improved
•
Regional Office and WR Offices could help
in all three activities
45