RESUMEN
Background: Well-planned health research is fundamental to the success of any public health system in leading to better population health outcomes. Although the Indian public health system is unique, it lacks strong linkages between research and practice. There is a pressing need to address the gap in the research to reduce the disease burden in the country. Although various efforts are made to enhance public health research, such research is rarely documented as a process. The objective of the present paper is to document issues and challenges in managing public health research grants awarded to the PHRI fellows from 2013-to 2021 under the PHRI project. Method: A mixed-method approach, including qualitative (in-depth) interviews and secondary review, was adopted to collect the challenges in executing PHRI grants (during 2013-2021). The in-depth interviews were conducted among the PHRI execution team, whereas the secondary document review was conducted among the PHRI fellows, and the findings are documented under major themes like administrative, technical, and financial issues and/or challenges. Result: A total of 35 candidates 16 intramural (IM) candidates affiliated with PHFI or IIPH institutes and 19 extramural (EM) candidates affiliated to other academic institutes were selected for the fellowship, The common challenges identified amongst intra & extramural fellows were inability to disseminate the study findings, challenges in communication and getting audited statements, changes in study methods without prior permission, mid study attrition of CO-PIs and high budget utilization. The specific difficulties identified from extramural fellows were change in institute affiliation, lack of support to fund utilization from the parent institute and difficulties in field validation. Conclusion: The present perspective emphasizes that the management and implementation of a research grant is the crucial part of achieving a project's desired outcome. The learnings of PHRI grant execution allows the researchers to understand the issues in terms of methodological rigour and financial guidelines, rigorous tracking of the project activities, and complying with the terms of funding agreement are crucial. The challenges explored in this grant execution recommend developing a structured public health grant management leadership program for researchers and executors.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Adolescents (10-19 years of age) constitute about one-fifth of India's population. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, has launched Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) in 2014 to improve health of adolescents. Adolescent Health Day (AHD) is an important intervention of RKSK for outreach and to secure convergence among relevant departments. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to design and document methodology for effective implementation of AHD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in Talod block of Sabarkantha district of Gujarat. The methodology was developed using ABCDE approach - assess, build, create, deliver, and evaluate. RESULTS: During assess phase, experts identified convergence an important component for successful implementation of RKSK. Formative research reaffirm that convergence played an important role in effective implementation of RKSK. Findings from these two phases led to the creation of a methodology which was used to deliver AHDs. This was further evaluated using interviews with key stakeholders in health and education department. It is now being used to organize AHDs in the district. CONCLUSION: ABCDE approach can be used to develop a better health interventions for National Health Programs.
