Today’s Health Research is Tomorrow’s Health Care
Consensus statement from the Health Research Board Conference, Dublin Castle, 13/14 June 2006
The purpose of the Health Research Board’s conference was to bring national and international experts together with the aim of informing the future shape and development of health research and policy in Ireland. Over 250 participants from a variety of health and academic disciplines heard and responded to speakers who outlined the benefits of health research and information for:
- better patient care
- more effective health policy and services
- strengthening the knowledge economy and society
Health Research in a Global World
The health of the people of this island is increasingly dependent on the health of the world’s population. In a world in which globalization is dissolving barriers of time and space, each country must engage as part of an international effort to increase and share knowledge about health and disease
Most of the health gains during the 20th century can be attributed to the advancement of knowledge, through three main mechanisms. First, knowledge gets translated into new technologies, such as vaccines and drugs. Knowledge is also internalised by individuals, who use it to structure their everyday behaviour in key areas like personal hygiene, feeding habits, sexuality, and child-rearing practices. Finally, knowledge becomes translated into evidence that provides a scientific foundation both for health care and for policy formulation. Each of these three mechanisms is limited by gaps that we need to bridge.
Better Patient Care
In every health system, health research is a front line service because it saves lives and prevents disease and reduces disability.
Irish health research is contributing new knowledge that is combating disease, saving lives and improving health. Ireland is developing the high quality clinical and basic sciences research base to make a much greater contribution to better outcomes for patients. The success of the applications from Dublin and Belfast in the Wellcome Trust/HRB/R&D Office Clinical Research Initiative testify to that potential. An opportunity now presents to provide a clinical research infrastructure on the island of Ireland that will lead to major advances in clinical and translational research. Researchers and patient representatives believe that Ireland can become a world leader in basic clinical and translational research by 2013, to the benefit of patients and the health of the population.
More Effective Health Policy and Services
Irish citizens aspire to a world-class health service. Such a service must be built on the best knowledge gathered from research and information systems at global, national and local levels. Research and information help build consensus about the most appropriate interventions to resolve health problems. They provide the knowledge to improve the quality, equity and effectiveness of services, in other words to gain more health for the money spent. A health service with a strong research culture will produce health professionals who will ensure the future quality of the services in which they work.
Given the scale and diversity of health problems facing the population, agreement on the priority research and information needs to be addressed over the next three to five years is an important step to ensure that knowledge works for health. Knowledge brokering is needed to connect policy makers and researchers better to ensure the maximum impact of research and information on health policy and services.
Strengthening the Knowledge Economy and Society
Health research and information contribute to building the knowledge economy and society by stimulating innovation and providing a foundation for developing new diagnostics, therapies, devices and systems for improved patient care and if brought to market, add value to the Irish economy. This contribution has been recognised by Government by the inclusion of health research in the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation published on 18 June.
While health research and information have important economic benefits for Ireland, we should not lose sight of the fact that the primary benefit of new knowledge is to improve care for patients and improve the health of the population.
Structural Issues
A number of structural issues were identified at the Conference that need to be addressed if a culture of research and information is to reach full potential in Ireland. These issues include:
- Agreement on responsibilities for research and information by the Department of Health and Children, the Health Service Executive, the Health Information and Quality Authority and the Health Research Board.
- An update of Making Knowledge Work for Health to take account of the reorganisation of the health service
- The appointment of a Director of Research and Development in the DOHC
- The assumption by the HSE of responsibility for building a culture of research and information within the health service
- The establishment of a forum to agree the priority research and information needs of the health service over the next three to five years
- More protected time and support for health and social care professionals to engage in research
- Investment by the Health Research Board in the infrastructure needed to support high quality health research and information
- Sustainable funding for research programmes and new information systems
- Closer relationships between the third level sector and the health service
- Strong institutional commitment to research and information by health agencies
- Closer engagement with global health research and information activities
Conclusion
The Conference highlighted the global benefits of health research and information. It drew attention to the potential contribution that research and information in Ireland could make to better patient care, more effective health policy and services and to building a knowledge economy and society. It helped to shape the future of health research and information policy by identifying the structural barriers that are constraining the growth of health research and information systems. The Health Research Board undertakes to pursue the agenda of the Conference, so that today’s health research will become tomorrow’s health care.
July 2006