| Background: SASHA, which stands for “evidence-informed health policy-making (EIHP)” in Persian, is a national
project to draw a roadmap for strengthening EIHP in Iran. As a part of SASHA, this research aimed to develop evidencebased and context-aware policy options for increasing the capacity of decision-makers to apply EIHP in Iran.
Methods: This was a qualitative study, which was informed by a literature review of pull efforts’ capacity building
programs. Based on the review, we developed policy options and validated them through an expert panel that involved
twelve experts. Data were analyzed using a content analysis method.
Results: We extracted data from 11 articles. The objectives of capacity building programs were: single-skill development,
personal/professional development, and organizational development. According to these objectives, the contents
and training methods of the programs vary. Capacity building programs have shown positive impacts on individual
knowledge/attitudes to use EIHP. However, the impacts of programs at the organizational or the health system level
remain under-researched. We followed several threads from the literature review through to the expert panel that
included training the management team, instead of training managers, training for problem-solving skills, and designing
tailored programs. Barriers of capacity building for EIHP regard the context of the health system (weak accountability
and the widespread conflict of interest) and healthcare organizational structures (decision support systems, knowledge
management infrastructures, and lack of management team). Experts suggested interventions on the barriers, particularly
on resolving the conflict of interests before launching new programs. A proposed framework to increase the capacity
of health policy-makers incorporates strategies at three levels: capacity building program, organizational structure, and
health system context.
Conclusion: To prepare the context of Iranian healthcare organizations for capacity building programs, the conflict of
interests needs to be resolved, decision-makers should be made more accountable, and healthcare organizations need to
provide more knowledge management infrastructures and decision support systems. |