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E-Border Health
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the report on Improving Knowledge Transfer among Health Researchers and Decisionmakers at the Border: An Expert Meeting, held in Dallas, Texas on June 26, 2007.
The report may be of particular interest to border health partners and others in the United States – México border region.
Executive Summary
This expert meeting sought to identify ways to improve the translation and dissemination of border health research produced in the United States so as to maximize its use by decision makers in health policy and practice. As part of its work to improve access to health care along the border between the United States and Mexico, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeks to promote the use of evidence-based programs and the best available data and information in planning and providing population-based and personal health care services. In this context, the term “knowledge transfer” refers to range of activities designed to link research to policy and improve the likelihood that policymakers and practitioners will make evidence-informed decisions.
While not unique to the border area, the challenges of linking research to policy in this regional are clearly evident. The report of the 2002 Border Health Research Agenda Council Meeting declared that “fragmentation of efforts and lack of communication mechanisms were identified as the two biggest problems affecting binational cooperation for health.”1 Participants at the HRSA Border Health Summit conducted in August 2006 observed that while the number and variety of research studies continues to grow, it appears that the knowledge created through these investigations rarely gets translated into meaningful messages and disseminated effectively to policymakers, program administrators, and practitioners. “We know better than we do,” was a consistent theme.
This invitational meeting brought together representatives from government agencies and foundations that fund research, leading researchers and university officials, health policymakers, program administrators, and health care providers to examine their experience and discuss ways to improve the flow of research-based knowledge among stakeholders at the border. The meeting agenda and participant list are included in Appendices I and II, respectively.
To view the report, click here.
You may also access the report at http://ruralhealth.hrsa.gov/border/dallasmeeting.htm
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