Role of a Knowledge Translation Platform for Institutionalizing Evidence-Informed Policy-making in the National Health System

Abstract

The creation of sustainable health systems that contribute to the improvement, maintenance and restoration of human health, as well as the well-being of present and future generations is an urgent and important task for most low and middle income countries, including Kazakhstan. The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging health systems and requires effective action to effectively respond to existing and emerging public health challenges. The experience of many countries indicates that the success of EIP implementation is largely related to the creation of an effective platform for translation the best evidence to the field of health policy making - the Knowledge Translation Platform (KTP).This review includes an analysis of existing approaches to institutionalizing EIP in the national health system and selection of the optimal model for Kazakhstan.A review of international experience shows that KTP is a nationally functioning structure designed to create and develop links between researchers, policy makers and other users of research results. KTP can be localized in different ways, and the organization of KTP activities can take several different forms. There are a number of positive examples of the establishment of KTP in Lebanon, Brazil, Chile, Zambia, Malawi and other countries.For the Republic of Kazakhstan, a model for the creation of the KTP - Knowledge4Policy - is proposed on the basis of the Salidat Kairbekova National Scientific Center for Healthcare Development. This platform should be formed in close cooperation with medical universities, research institutes, scientific centers and NGOs and is designed to become a leading center for strengthening public policy and practice in the field of health.The functioning of this platform on the basis of close interaction with all key stakeholders is designed to ensure the active transfer of the results of scientific research and development of Kazakhstani and foreign researchers into the field of health policy formation, as well as, in turn, the timely addressing of policy makers' requests to those organizations that conduct research and developments.All this will make it possible to accelerate and improve the efficiency of reforms in the industry, transparency of decisions and the consistency of developed and implemented measures, timely response of the health care system to existing and future challenges to public health, which, ultimately, should ensure a reduction in preventable human losses, material and financial resources at all levels of the national health system and increase the likelihood of long-term public health success.