title: Advancing the field of health systems research synthesis.
abstract: Those planning, managing and working in health systems worldwide routinely need to make decisions regarding strategies to improve health care and promote equity. Systematic reviews of different kinds can be of great help to these decision-makers, providing actionable evidence at every step in the decision-making process. Although there is growing recognition of the importance of systematic reviews to inform both policy decisions and produce guidance for health systems, a number of important methodological and evidence uptake challenges remain and better coordination of existing initiatives is needed. The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, housed within the World Health Organization, convened an Advisory Group on Health Systems Research (HSR) Synthesis to bring together different stakeholders interested in HSR synthesis and its use in decision-making processes. We describe the rationale of the Advisory Group and the six areas of its work and reflects on its role in advancing the field of HSR synthesis. We argue in favour of greater cross-institutional collaborations, as well as capacity strengthening in low- and middle-income countries, to advance the science and practice of health systems research synthesis. We advocate for the integration of quasi-experimental study designs in reviews of effectiveness of health systems intervention and reforms. The Advisory Group also recommends adopting priority-setting approaches for HSR synthesis and increasing the use of findings from systematic reviews in health policy and decision-making.
authors.affiliation: Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, 20 avenue Appia, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland. langloise@who.int.
authors.forename: Etienne V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Langlois
authors.affiliation: World Bank Group, 3 Chemin Louis-Dunant, Post Office Box 66 CH, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland. mranson@worldbank.org.
authors.forename: Michael K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Ranson
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. tbaernig@hsph.harvard.edu.|Wellcome Trust Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, R618 en route to Hlabisa, Somkhele A2074 Rd, Mtubatuba, 3935, South Africa. tbaernig@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bärnighausen
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4051, Basel, Switzerland. x.bosch@unibas.ch.|University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4003, Basel, Switzerland. x.bosch@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bosch-Capblanch
authors.affiliation: Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Francie van Zijl Drive Parowvallei, Cape , PO Box 19070 , 7505, , Tygerberg, South Africa. Karen.Daniels@mrc.ac.za.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Policy, Center for Systematic Reviews of Health Policy and Systems Research (SPARK), Faculty of Health Sciences, Van Dyck Hall, American University of Beirut, PO Box 11-0236, Riad El-Solh, Beirut, 1107 2020, Lebanon. fe08@aub.edu.lb.
authors.forename: Fadi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: El-Jardali
authors.affiliation: Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, 20 avenue Appia, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland. ghaffara@who.int.
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghaffar
authors.affiliation: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute & Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 725 Parkdale Ave, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 4E9, Canada. jgrimshaw@ohri.ca.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grimshaw
authors.affiliation: Departments of Social and Environmental Health Research and of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK. andy.haines@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Andy
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authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. lavisj@mcmaster.ca.|Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Department of Political Science, and McMaster Health Forum, PPD/CHEPA, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, CRL-209, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada. lavisj@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: John N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Lavis
authors.affiliation: Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Francie van Zijl Drive Parowvallei, Cape , PO Box 19070 , 7505, , Tygerberg, South Africa. simon.lewin@nokc.no.|Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group (EPOC) Satellite, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services, Box 7004, St. Olavs plass, 0130, Oslo, Norway. simon.lewin@nokc.no.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
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authors.affiliation: China Centre for Health Development Studies, Peking University, PO 505, XueYuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China. qmeng@bjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Qingyue
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre), UCL Institute of Education, University College London, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL, UK. S.Oliver@ioe.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sandy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Familiar, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Libertador Bernardo O Higgins 340, Santiago, Chile. tpantoja@med.puc.cl.
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pantoja
authors.affiliation: St. Michael's hospital, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 30 Bond St, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada. sharon.straus@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Straus
authors.affiliation: Behaviour and Health Research Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Box 113 Cambridge Biomedical Campus Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0SR, UK. ian.shemilt@medschl.cam.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shemilt
authors.affiliation: Cochrane, St Albans House, 57-59 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4QX, UK. DTovey@cochrane.org.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tovey
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Centre for Global Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Knowledge Translation and Health Technology Assessment in Health Equity, Institute of Population Health, Bruyère Research Institute, University of Ottawa, 85 Primrose Avenue, Office 302, Ottawa, ON, K1R 6M1, Canada. Tugwell.BB@uottawa.ca.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tugwell
authors.affiliation: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, 36 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PD, UK. hwaddington@3ieimpact.org.
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Waddington
authors.affiliation: Cochrane, St Albans House, 57-59 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4QX, UK. MWilson@cochrane.org.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: China Centre for Health Development Studies, Peking University, PO 505, XueYuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China. beibeiyuan@bjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Beibei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. jrotting@hsph.harvard.edu.|Department of Health Management and Health Economics, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Postboks 1089, Blindern, 0317, Oslo, Norway. jrotting@hsph.harvard.edu.|Division of Infectious Disease Control, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, , N-0403, Oslo, Norway. jrotting@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: John-Arne
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Røttingen
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D006291:Health Policy; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans