title: Setting priorities in global child health research investments: assessment of principles and practice.
abstract: This article reviews theoretical and practical approaches for setting priorities in global child health research investments. It also provides an overview of previous attempts to develop appropriate tools and methodologies to define priorities in health research investments. A brief review of the most important theoretical concepts that should govern priority setting processes is undertaken, showing how different perspectives, such as medical, economical, legal, ethical, social, political, rational, philosophical, stakeholder driven, and others will necessarily conflict each other in determining priorities. We specially address present research agenda in global child health today and how it relates to United Nation's (UN) Millennium Development Goal 4, which is to reduce child mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. The outcomes of these former approaches are evaluated and their benefits and shortcomings presented. The case for a new methodology for setting priorities in health research investments is presented, as proposed by Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative, and a need for its implementation in global child health is outlined. A transdisciplinary approach is needed to address all the perspectives from which investments into health research can be seen as priorities. This prioritization requires a process that is transparent, systematic, and that would take into account many perspectives and build on advantages of previous approaches.
authors.affiliation: Split University School of Medicine, Split, Croatia irudan@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rudan
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kapiriri
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lansang
authors.forename: Adnan A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hyder
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lawn
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Darmstadt
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cousens
authors.forename: Zulfiqar A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Bhutta
authors.forename: Kenneth H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Sonja Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Julie Meeks
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: Jayne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Webster
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chandramohan
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kosek
authors.forename: Claudio F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lanata
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
authors.forename: Mickey
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chopra
authors.forename: Shanthi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ameratunga
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Shams
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: El Arifeen
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Black
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D046688:Child Mortality / Q000639:trends; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D014943:Global Health; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012106:Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000639:trends; D014480:United Nations