title: Facilitating factors and barriers to malaria research utilization for policy development in Malawi.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Research on various determinants of health is key in providing evidence for policy development, thereby leading to successful interventions. Utilization of research is an intricate process requiring an understanding of contextual factors. The study was conducted to assess enhancing factors and barriers of research utilization for malaria policy development in Malawi.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative research approach was used through in-depth interviews with 39 key informants that included malaria researchers, policy makers, programme managers, and key stakeholders. Purposive sampling and snowballing techniques were used in identifying key informants. Interview transcripts were entered in QSR Nvivo 11 software for coding and analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents identified global efforts as key in advancing knowledge translation, while local political will has been conducive for research utilization. Other factors were availability of research, availability of diverse local researchers and stakeholders supporting knowledge translation. While barriers included: lack of platforms for researcher-public engagement, politics, researchers' lack of communication skills, lack of research collaborations, funder driven research, unknown World Health Organization policy position, and the lack of a malaria research repository.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, the study identified facilitating factors to malaria research utilization for policy development in Malawi. These factors need to be systematically coordinated to address the identified barriers and improve on malaria research utilization in policy development. Malaria research can be key in the implementation of evidence-based interventions to reduce the malaria burden and assist in the paradigm shift from malaria control to elimination in Malawi.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP ISMC), School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Chikondi A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mwendera
authors.affiliation: Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP ISMC), School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. tiaan.dejager@up.ac.za.
authors.forename: Christiaan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Jager
authors.affiliation: Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP at Columbia University, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Longwe
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.
authors.forename: Kamija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Phiri
authors.affiliation: Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP ISMC), School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.|Department of Population Health, Health Systems and Innovation, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), Blantyre, Malawi.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hongoro
authors.affiliation: Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP ISMC), School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.|International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Clifford M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Mutero
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel; D035843:Biomedical Research; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004772:Entomology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008295:Malawi / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011050:Policy Making; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical
keywords: Barriers; Facilitating factors; Malaria research; Malawi; Policy development; Research utilization