Title:	Bridging the Gap between Research and Health Policy making
Keywords:	Health Policy Research Communication Advocacy
Country:	Vietnam
Institution:	Vietnam - Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH)
Course coordinator:	Prof. Nguyen Thanh Huong
Date start:	2023-05-22
Date end:	2023-06-02
About duration and dates:	Two weeks, Monday to Friday Application deadline: 4 weeks prior to first presence course day. Pre-reading materials will be distributed 2 weeks prior to course commencement. Final due date for post-course assignments: post-course exercise is due 2 weeks after the last scheduled course day.
Classification:	advanced optional
Mode of delivery:	Face to face
Course location: Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH) 1A Duc Thang Road, North Tu Liem district, Hanoi, Vietnam
ECTS credit points:	3 ECTS credits
SIT: Student Investment Time = 90 hours consisting of: Contact time: 30 hours Private study time (including pre-reading): 40 hours Assisted tutorial: 4 hours Assessment/assignment time: 16 hours
Language:	English
Description: By the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Describe the key elements of, and create a comprehensive policy-level communication strategy 2. Develop simple and compelling written and oral formats for communication of research evidence to policy makers 3. Explain the fundamentals of health policy framework 4. Explore the research-to-policy gap and identify strategies to overcome this gap 5. Explain how research findings enter and influence the policy process
Assessment Procedures: Assessment will be based on class participation,exercises, and written factsheet. Class participation: 10% The evaluation of students’ participation to class will be based on: Students’ attendance and contribution to discussion during class; evidence that students have read and thought about the requirement readings prior to the relevant class, and students overall effort and academic progress during the course; and evidence of initiative and creativity. This part will also encompass the oral competency of participants. Individual exercise (Ex1): 20% Each student will identify the key policy-relevant findings (maximum 5) from their selected research/report/article and then find implications and recommendations that are linked to these findings (400-500 words). Group exercise (Ex2): 20% Students will work in groups of 2 to 4 people to develop communication strategies (9,00 -1,000 words) to policymakers, based on a research/report/article which one of students in the group brought to the course. Individual exercise (Ex3 – final assignment): 50% Each student will develop a fact sheet/brief (2 – 3 pages, 900 – 1,000 words) to hypothetical policy maker(s) or policy stakeholder(s), during the course based on research/report/article which student brought to the course. Students propose their own topics but they have to discuss with course co-ordinator to seek agreement prior to writing their fact sheet/brief. Students need to achieve the pass mark of 5.0 (according to The Vietnamese grading system, the mark is based on a 0 to 10 point scale). Failing students will be given a chance to resubmit their exercises that has taken into account the comments given. This should be done within 4 weeks and will be reassessed by the course organizer.
Content: The main topics covered in this module are: Module 1: Fundamentals of Health Policy (contact hours: 4 hours; self-study: 4 hours) - An overview of simple analytical framework of health policy including the notions of context, process, actors and content (2 hours). - Refresher on elements and characteristics of the policy process (2 hours). - Self-study: students read case studies (4 hours). Module 2: From Research to Health Policy (contact hours: 10 hours; self-study: 8 hours) - How research findings enter and influence the policy process; research-policy gap; barriers to research influencing policy; strategies to overcome barriers to research influencing policy (4 hours). - Identifying key research findings and policy implications (4 hours). - Self-study: students identify key research findings and program implications from Vietnamese case studies (8 hours). - Students report on Vietnamese case studies (2 hours). Seminar: Health policy issues and use of evidence in policy making in Vietnam (contact hours: 2 hours, self-study: 4 hours) - Self-study: Students read the latest report Vietnam Joint Annual Health Review (4 hours). - Seminar: Health Policy Issues and Use of Evidence in Policy Process in Vietnam (2 hours). Module 3: Policy Communication Strategies (contact hours: 4 hours; self-study: 8 hours) - Developing policy communication strategy to communicate research findings and policy recommendations to policy makers at different levels: key elements of policy communication; identify key communication constraints and opportunities carry out and develop communication action plan and evaluation performance (4 hours). - Self-study: Students develop communication strategies (8 hours). Module 4: Policy Communication Tools (contact hours: 10 hours, tutorial: 4 hours, self-study: 16 hours) - Factsheet/Policy brief (4 hours). - Tutorial: using Microsoft Office Publisher to design factsheet/policy brief (2 hours). - Self-study: Students develop individual factsheet/policy brief (8 hours). - Policy memorandum and briefing policy makers using oral presentation (6 hours). - Tutorial: using Microsoft Office PowerPoint to develop effective presentation (2 hours). - Self-study: Students prepare presentation using Microsoft Office PowerPoint (8 hours). Assessment/assignment: 16 hours - Students give policy presentations at class (8 hours). - Assignments: 8 hours
Methods: Various methods are used, including lectures, group discussions, seminars, tutorials, individual work, and student presentations. - Module 1 includes 4-hour lectures and in-class discussions to introduce the framework of health policy and fundamentals of policy process. - Module 2 includes 8-hour lectures and in-class discussions to explain how research findings enter and influence the policy process, explore the research-to-policy gap, strategies to overcome this gap and identify key research findings and policy implications; and 2 hours for students ‘presentations and discussions. - Seminar: students are required to prepare for 2 hours seminar on health policy issues and use of evidence in policy making in Vietnam. At the end of Module 2, students are required to take a individual exercise: Identifying the results, implications and recommendations that based on student‘s or other’s research (Ex1). - Module 3 includes 4-hour lectures and in-class discussions to introduce the key elements of, and how to create a comprehensive policy-level communication strategy. At the end of Module 3, students are required to take a group exercise: Developing communication strategies that based on student‘s or other’s research (Ex2). - Module 4 includes 10-hour lectures and 4-hours tutors to develop skills for communicating research evidence to policymakers using simple and compelling written and oral formats. At the end of Module 4, students are required to give policy presentations in class (8 hours) and take a individual exercise: Developing an Factsheet based on student‘s or other’s research (Ex3). In addition, this course includes 40-hour self-study activities which includes pre-reading relevant materials to support lectures, group discussion for group exercises, completing individual/group exercises.
Prerequisites: English requirements: TOEFL iBT 60-78 or IELTS 6.0, or English native speaker or completed higher education in English (with written proof). We also accept students from TropEd core courses. Students are required to bring to the course one research (it might be student’s research or any article or research report that students prefer), used as basic document for doing some exercises (identify research findings and policy implications, prepare factsheet and oral presentation to policy makers).
Attendance: The number of students is limited to 20, max no. of tropEd students is 10.
Selection: First come/ first serve
Fees: 600 EURO
Scholarships: None available
Major changes since initial accreditation: Updating reading references (International and local context) and revising guideline and exercises accordingly.
Student evaluation: Course evaluation is given by end of every course, most of student highly evaluate the training, there are some typical feedback: - Useful course, the course provides a method to translate research results into understandable content with a methodical policy-maker approach. - After finishing the course, students are confident that they can apply what has been learned into their work. - Reading materials are clear and have good examples from developing countries and can help to achieve the course’s objectives. Beside of positive feedback, student also provide some response for improving the program: - There should be more time for feedback on the exercises in the classroom.
Lessons learned: Conveying evidence to health policymakers, health managers or decision-makers is a comprehensive process, from understanding their culture, their expectations to individual’s knowledge, attitude, and behaviors toward specific existing problems. Moreover, it is different at each level. Both of lecturers and students should understand about the nature and sensitivity of this process. Because the students come from different background, tailoring the teaching method to individual students is an effective strategy which address an individual learner’s specific needs. To increasing the effectiveness of applying theory to exercises, pay more attention and improve quality of providing feedback and correction by providing feedback on assessment sheet and also detailed comments, corrections provided directly in the exercises and sent to students.
tropEd accreditation: This course was accredited in 2007 and re-accredited in 2013, 2018, and February 2023. This accreditation is valid until February 2028.
Remarks: 1. Stephanie L. Smith, Jeremy Shiffman & Abigail Kazembe (2014) Generating political priority for newborn survival in three low-income countries, Global Public Health, 9:5, 538-554, DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2014.904918 2. Orliver et al. (2014). A systematic review of barriers to and facilitators of the use of evidence by policymakers. BMC Health Services Research, 14:2 3. Robinson, T., Bailey, C., Morris, H. et al. Bridging the research–practice gap in healthcare: a rapid review of research translation centres in England and Australia. Health Res Policy Sys 18, 117 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-020-00621-w 4. Vietnam Ministry of Health (2018), Joint Annual Health Report: Population aging and health care for the elderly in Vietnam, Hanoi. 5. vietnam Ministry of Health (2022), National Health Strategy for the 2021-2030 period with the vision toward 2045, Hanoi.
Email Address:	nth1@huph.edu.vn
Date Of Record Creation:	2018-11-01 09:23:12 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release:	2018-11-01 13:38:09 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked:	2018-11-01 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified:	2023-03-21 14:06:29 (W3C-DTF)