European perspectives on global health: a policy glossary

5. Europe must act now for global health
Europe should lead research
and knowledge management
for global health
Health research is investigative work
undertaken on a systematic and rigorous basis
using quantitative and qualitative methods to
generate new knowledge that seeks to impact
on human physical, social and psychological
well-being.( Queensland Health )
Knowledge management for health is a set
of principles, tools and practices that enable
people to create knowledge and to share,
translate and apply what they know to improve
health and the effectiveness of health systems.
It is an integral skill for health for clinical and
public health practitioners.
Health research is essential for achieving and
maintaining a state of good health. The spectrum of
health research encompasses :
Biomedical research : Basic research ( involving the
physical and biological sciences including chemistry,
genetics, molecular biology, pharmacology, toxicology,
etc ) leads to understanding of the biological nature
of diseases, while applied research and development
translates this knowledge into the creation of products
( drugs, vaccines, diagnostics, medical appliances ) to
prevent, treat or ameliorate disease states.
Health policy and systems research : Research
on policy formulation, relationship of policy to
evidence, prioritisation ; health systems management,
functions, efficiency, effectiveness, system factors
affecting access, scale-up, monitoring and evaluation.
Social sciences and behavioural research :
Research on social, political, economic, environmental
determinants of health and their relation to equity,
access, lifestyle and health-seeking behaviours.
Operational research : Research on factors
affecting functioning of programmes, effectiveness of
targeting, impact on behaviour, disease burdens and
public health.
The 1990 report of the Commission on Health
Research for Development identified that far too little
health research is devoted to the needs of developing
countries and that every country should conduct a
programme of essential national health research. The
Commission recommended that developing countries
should aim to spend the equivalent of 2 % of their
national health budgets on health research and
that donors should allocate 5 % of their programme
support for the health sector to research and research
capacity strengthening. In January 2006, a resolution
( EB117.R6 ) of the World Health Organization’s
( WHO ) Executive Board recommended that member
states consider implementing this, and the resolution
was adopted by the World Health Assembly in May
2006.
It is now widely understood that the determinants
of health extend far beyond the health sector and
that ”research for health” must encompass not only
the immediate causative agents of diseases but also
social, political, economic and environmental factors
that contribute to the health status of individuals and
populations. The Commission on Social Determinants
of Health, established by WHO in 2005, is now
conducting studies and gathering evidence that will
contribute to this picture and it should be emphasised
that research is needed into the health impact of every
sector of activity.
The public sector has several key roles to play in
supporting, underpinning and enabling health
research. These include support for : basic research
that addresses significant global health challenges,
including attention to ‘neglected’ diseases such as
tropical parasitic diseases ; the development of new
drugs and vaccines for neglected diseases, particularly
through funding of public-private partnerships like the
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, the Medicines
for Malaria Venture and the TB Alliance which are
addressing specific Millennium Development Goal
( MDG ) targets ; and capacity building to ensure that
developing countries can themselves conduct the
health research that is vital to improving the efficiency
and effectiveness of their health systems.
Globalisation has been enabled by the rapid
development of information and communications
technology, which has made it possible to develop
and share knowledge faster than ever before. It is
estimated that more than 90 % of information is now
accessed in electronic form, whether by broadcast,
62 <strong>European</strong> Foundation Centre – <strong>European</strong> Partnership for Global Health