The BMJ is launching a special collection of articles that will explore how research can drive effective and efficient health systems across the Americas. The collection seeks to shape the research agenda and help fulfil the promise of high quality health for all.
High quality research - and the evidence that it yields - is essential for improving global health and health equity, as well as economic development. Research for health refers to a system which seeks to harness science, technology and broader knowledge to produce research-based evidence and tools for improving global health.
It is a top priority for the World Health Organization (WHO) to help strengthen health systems and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2009, member states of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) therefore approved a regional policy on research for health in the Americas.
It was developed to complement the WHO's Strategy on Research for Health, based on the premise that policies and practices in support of health worldwide should be grounded in the best scientific knowledge.
By December 2017, 16 countries reported a national policy on research for health, and 18 Caribbean community countries endorsed a common policy.
Yet striking differences remain between countries in their ability to deliver, use, and organise research for health, or to monitor their research capacity, argue Dr Kamran Abbasi, Executive Editor at The BMJ, along with Carissa Etienne and Luis Gabriel Cuervo at Pan American Health, in an editorial to launch the collection.
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