What is it about?
Health research often does not reach the people who make decisions about health services and policies. This means good ideas from research are not always used to improve healthcare. In Nigeria, we do not know much about how researchers and government policymakers work together to use research findings. This study was done to understand what makes it hard for researchers and policymakers to work together, and to find simple ways they can work better together to improve healthcare in Nigeria.
Featured Image
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This study shows that poor communication, lack of shared goals, and weak systems prevent research from being used in health policies in Nigeria. To fix this, Nigeria needs clear rules for working together, shared planning between researchers and policymakers, and regular training. Long-term funding, strong leadership, and lasting partnerships will be important to ensure research helps improve healthcare and health outcomes for people in Nigeria.
Perspectives
From my perspective, this study shows that good health research alone is not enough. Researchers and policymakers must work together from the start for evidence to be used. Strengthening trust, shared priorities, and simple engagement structures is essential if research is to truly improve health outcomes in Nigeria.
Professor TONIA Chinyelu ONYEKA
College of Medicine,University of Nigeria, Ituku Ozalla Campus
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Closing the gap between implementation science and policy in Nigeria: lessons from the Nigeria implementation science alliance using a nominal group technique, Frontiers in Health Services, November 2025, Frontiers,
DOI: 10.3389/frhs.2025.1629317.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
